Si.Alphonsus' Prayer-Book. 

auctions fiom MZoxks 

ST. alphonsus De liguori, 

Doctor of the Church, Founder of the Congregation of the 
Most Holy Redeemer. 



& Complete jfttamtal 

OF 

PIOUS EXERCISES FOR EVERY MY, EVERY WEEK, 
EVERY MONTH, EVERY SEASON OF THE CHRISTIAN 
YEAR, AND FOR ALL THE PRINCIPAL CIRCUM- 
STANCES OF LIFE. 



By Rev. Father ST. OMER, C.SS.R. 



Translated from the French by 



WW 23 tppq ; 

Permissu Supervorum. y ^ 

NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO: 

BENZIGER BROTHERS, 

Printers to the Holy A postolic See. 

& >k 




Copyright, 1888, by Benziger Brothers. 



translator's preface. 



In translating the following pages from Pere St. 
Omer's French work, " Les plus belles Prieres de 
St. Alphonse," I have been largely indebted to the 
late Bishop Coffin, to Father Grimm, and to Father 
Miiller, all of them sons of St. Alphonsus, from whose 
published works about one third of the following 
prayers have been taken. 

By awaiting the appearance of the whole of Father 
Grimm's Centenary edition of St. Alphonsus' works, 
all, or nearly all, contained in this prayer-book 
might have been textually quoted from his pages ; 
but this would have necessitated too long a delay 
in giving to English-speaking Catholics the privilege 
of making constant use of the very words of "that 
sweet spirit St. Alphonsus." 

G. M. Ward. 



7 



pra& pra$ always ! 



i. 

^E who prayeth shall certainly save his soul ; he 
who prayeth not shall certainly lose it. This 
justly celebrated sentence finds a fitting place 
at the commencement of a book which contains "the 
most beautiful prayers" of our modern Doctor, of 
him who may well be called the Doctor of Prayer. 

May these words be borne in mind by all who are 
called to life everlasting ; in other words, by all still 
living on the face of the earth ! May they be in- 
delibly graven on all hearts ! Especially may prayer 
be the dearest occupation of all men's lives ! For it 
cannot be too often repeated that : He who prayeth 
shall certainly save his soul; he who prayeth not shall 
certainly lose it. 

It was neither lightly nor by chance that St. 
Alphonsus wrote these grave and solemn words : 
their truth had been impressed upon his mind during 
his long experience as a missionary priest, and in 
confirmation of it he has adduced many irrefraga- 
ble proofs taken from Holy Writ and from tradition. 
We will give a few examples. 



II. 

Irayer is a sure and indispensable means of 
obtaining salvation and all the graces leading 
thereto. Convinced as I am of the necessity 
of prayer, I say that all books treating of spiritual 
subjects, all preachers in their sermons, all confess- 
ors in every confession which they hear, should 
attach the greatest importance to inculcating the 
necessity of constant prayer on the minds of their 

9 



IO 



Pray, Pray Always ! 



readers and hearers, and they should never tire of 
impressing it on them and of repeating over and 
over again : Pray, pray always; if you pray, you will 
certainly save your souls ; if you do not pray, you 
will certainly lose them. It is true that many excel- 
lent ways of persevering in the grace of God may be 
recommended to souls ; for instance, avoiding occa- 
sions of sin, frequenting the sacraments, resisting 
temptation, listening to sermons, meditating on the 
eternal truths, etc., all of which are most salutary 
practices, as every one must admit ; but, I ask, of 
what good are sermons, meditations, and the other 
means suggested by the masters of the spiritual life, 
without prayer ? since Our Lord has declared that 
He will only grant His grace to those who pray for 
it : Ask and ye shall receive (John xvi. 24). According 
to the ordinary course of Providence, all our medi- 
tations, resolutions, promises are useless without 
prayer ; if we do not pray, we shall always be faith- 
less to the lights we have received from God and to 
the resolutions we have taken. Because, in order to 
do right, to overcome temptation, to practise virtue, 
to observe God's law, it is not sufficient to have re- 
ceived divine lights, to have meditated, and to have 
taken firm resolutions. God's actual help is also 
necessary. Now, this actual help is only granted by 
Our Lord to those who pray perseveringly for it. 
The lights we receive, and the earnest consideration 
and firm resolutions which we make, have the 
effect of inciting us to have recourse to prayer in 
the time of temptation and when in danger of 
offending God : by prayer we obtain the divine help 
necessary for keeping us from sin, and if, under 
these circumstances, we were to neglect praying, we 
should undoubtedly be lost. 

The texts of Scripture which prove the necessity 
we are under of praying, if we wish to be saved, are 
extremely clear : We ought always to pray (Luke 



Pray, Pray Always ! 



xviii. i). Watch ye, and pray that ye eiiter not into 
temptation (Matt. xxvi. 41). Ask, and it shall be given 
you (Matt. vii. 7). 

Theologians are of opinion that this way of speak- 
ing imposes the precept and denotes the necessity 
of prayer. Hence the learned Lessius asserts that 
it cannot be denied, without sinning against faith, 
that for adults prayer is necessary to salvation ; since 
it is evident from the Scriptures that prayer is the 
only means of obtaining the aids necessary to salva- 
tion. 

The reason of this is that, without the help of 
grace, we can do nothing good. Without Me, says 
Jesus Christ, you can do nothing (John xv. 5). St. 
Augustine remarks on this subject that Oar Saviour 
did not say, You can complete nothing without Me ; 
but, You can do nothing. 1 This truth was pro- 
claimed at the second Council of Orange, when it 
was defined that man does no good thing except 
what God enables him to do by the operations of 
His grace. Man is therefore quite unable to work 
out his own salvation unassisted, since it is God's 
will that all he has or can have should come to him 
by the help of grace. Now, this grace God only 
grants, in the ordinary course of His providence, 
to those who pray for it. According to the maxim 
laid down by Gennadius, "No man can attain sal- 
vation without the help of God : no man can obtain 
this help except by prayer." This does not mean, 
says St. Thomas, 2 that it is necessary for us to pray 
in order that God may know of what we stand in 
need ; but that we must pray in order that we our- 
selves may understand our need of having recourse to 
God to obtain the aid necessary for our salvation, 
and may thus acknowledge Him as the only author 
of all our good. 



1 Contra ep. pel., L 2, c. 8. 



2, 2, q. 83, a. 2. 



1 2 Pray, Pray Always ! 



III. 

OW can we fear, says St. Augustine, that our 
prayers will not be granted, when God, Who is 
truth itself, has promised to give us all that we 
ask of Him ? To convince ourselves of this, let us 
weigh well the terms employed by our divine Saviour : 
Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and you shall find ; 
knock, and it shall be opened to you. . . . Your Father 
Who is in heaven will give good things to them that 
ask Him (Matt. vii. 7). Ask, and it shall be given you 
(Luke xi. 9) — all that we ask we shall obtain : Ask 
whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you (John 
xv. 7). Whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to 
them by My Father Who is in heaven (Matt, xviii. 19). 
But we must ask in the name of Jesus : If you shall 
ask Me anything in My name, that I will do (John xiv. 
14). Amen, amen, I say to you : if you ask the Father 
anything in My name, He will give it you (John xvi. 

23) , provided we pray with faith and confidence : All 
things whatsoever ye ask when ye pray, believe that you 
shall receive, and they shall come unto you (Mark xi. 

24) . 

By these promises God has bound Himself to 
grant us the graces which we ask of Him. St. John 
Chrysostom also says that no man is so powerful as 
he that prayeth ; and why ? Because prayer makes 
him a participa?it in divine power. 

Everything then becomes possible to us by means 
of prayer; by it we obtain from Our Lord the 
strength of which we stand in need. Prayer is all- 
powerful, says Theoderet ; it alone is sufficient to 
obtain for us everything we require. According to 
St. Bonaventure, it procures us all good things, and 
frees us from all evil things. Prayer, says St. Ber- 
nard, is more powerful than all the devils. In fact, by 
prayer the soul acquires a divine virtue which places 
it above all created powers. 



Pray, Pray Always! 



15 



IV. 

[k'VMjllE are perfectly inexcusable if we neglect 
wXm P ra y er ' f° r tne g race of prayer is given to 
even* one. It is always in our power to 
pray if we only wish to do so. God will have all nun 
to be saved (1 Tim. ii. 4). Luther and Calvin asserted 
therefore a blasphemy when they said that since 
Adam's sin the observance of God's law is impossible 
to mortals ; and Jansenius was equally guilty when he 
asserted that we have been deprived of that grace 
which would have rendered the fulfilment of the 
divine precepts possible to us. The Church has con- 
demned these doctrines ; the holy Council of Trent 
has declared that God commands nothing that is 
impossible, but that He tells us to do our best aided 
by ordinary grace, and to ask of Him the increase of 
grace which is necessary to enable us to accomplish 
that which, without that help, we could not per- 
form ; and then by making up for our weakness He 
renders all things possible to us. 1 Hence it ensues 
that God gives, or at any rate offers, to all men 
either the proximate grace necessary for the observ- 
ance of His Commandments, or, at any rate, the re- 
mote grace, i.e., the grace of prayer, by means of 
which each person can obtain the proximate grace 
of which he has need to fulfil the duties imposed 
upon him by the law of God. 

However, it cannot be doubted that, in the present 
state of our corrupt nature, the observance of the 
divine law is very difficult, and even morally im- 
possible, without the special help of God and a 
greater help than was necessary when we were in a 
state of innocence. Now, this special help, God, 



1 Sess. 6, cb. 11, 



Pray, Pray Always / 



generally speaking, only imparts to those who ask 
for it ; and, according to St. Augustine, 1 with the ex- 
ception of the first graces, such as vocation to the 
faith or to penance (graces which we receive without 
our own co-operation), all the others, notably that of 
perseverance, are only given to those who pray. 

Our Lord, then, is ready to grant us salvation and 
all the graces necessary for attaining it, but He ex- 
acts that we should demand them unceasingly, even 
to importunity. Men cannot bear with those who 
are importunate, but it is quite different with God: 
He wishes that we should do violence to Him by 
prayer. This violence is most agreeable to Him, says 
Tertullian. 



V. 

inners, then, wrongly excuse themselves by 
alleging that they have not the strength to 

1 resist temptation. But, replies the Apostle 

St. James to them, if your strength is not sufficient, 
you have not because you ask not (James iv. 2). For, 
God is faithful, says St. Paul, Who will not suffer you 
to be tempted above that which you are able (1 Cor. x. 
13). That is to say, God, by His grace, makes us 
capable of resisting all temptations. When we in- 
voke Him, He imparts His divine strength to us and 
then we are capable of all things, as the Apostle says 
of himself : / can do all things in Him Who strength- 
eneth me (Phil. iv. 13). 

We may conclude from what we have said that, 
he who prayeth shall certainly save his soul ; he who 
prayeth not shall certainly lose it. All the blessed, 
except the little children, have saved their souls by 
prayer. All the damned have lost their souls by not 
having prayed : had they prayed they would not 



1 De dono pers. c. 16. 



Pray, Pray Always! 



15 



have lost their souls ; their greatest suffering in hell 
is and always will be the thought of how easily they 
might have saved their souls by asking the necessary 
graces from God, whereas now they are no longer 
able to do so. Therefore, 

Pray, pray always! 

St. Teresa was accustomed to say that she would 
have wished to place herself on the summit of a 
mountain, whence she could be heard by all living 
souls, solely that she might cry out to them, 

Pray, pray always! 



VI. 

have here, then, given a summary of St. 
Alphonsus' magnificent and consoling doc- 
trine concerning prayer. He did not con- 
tent himself with recording this salutary teach- 
ing in numerous parts of his writings, but he also 
put his teaching in practice by composing a great 
number of formulas equally admirable for their sub- 
stance and their form, and all of them bearing the 
impress of the Spirit of God. A heavenly unction 
will always impart a singular charm to them. The 
Saint wrote them from his heart; one might even 
say he dipped his pen in the blood of the burning 
Heart of Jesus. Many of them were written imme- 
diately after his having been in a state of ecstatic 
prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, or the crucifix, 
or the venerated image of Mary. They speak the 
language of the heart, of a heart wounded by divine 
love, a heart that fully recognizes how worthy is its 
own well-beloved of being loved by all men. Who 
is there that in hours of solitude, or when prostrate 
at the feet of his God, has not felt his heart melted 
and inflamed when repeating and reiterating the 



16 



Pray, Pray Always ! 



living words suggested by our sweet and sympa- 
thetic writer ? It is at such times that we realize 
the truth of what has been said by Lacordaire . 
" Love makes use of but one word, but though that 
word is ever recurring, it is never repeated." If a 
seraphim were to descend from heaven and try to 
clothe his consuming love for God in human language, 
where could he find more divinely impassioned words 
than those of our author ? 

The habitual use of these formulas cannot fail 
to be of the greatest utility to the faithful. By read- 
ing and re-reading these short, incisive, burning 
aspirations, men will learn how to speak to God, 
by constantly addressing these holy affections to 
Him, they will learn to offer them as their own 
heart-felt and spontaneous outpourings ; they will 
themselves soon acquire a great aptitude for ejacu- 
latory prayer, and, their own good-will being aided 
by grace, they will easily learn to converse contin- 
ually with God, even amidst the most engrossing 
occupations. 

VII. 

Besides their own intrinsic value, the prayers 
of St. Alphonsus bear the highest guarantees. 
I. They were composed by an author whom 
the Church has placed amongst her saints, and 
doubtless they were one of the principal means 
which he himself employed to attain such high per- 
fection. 

II. They emanate from a saint of such 'eminent 
science that the Holy See has honored him with 
the rare and glorious title of Doctor of the Universal 
Church. 

III. They were most minutely examined and care- 
fully sifted at the time of the promotion of the 
causes of their author's beatification, canonization, 
and doctorate. 



Pray. Pray Always I 



J" 



[V. They are the work of an apostolic man whose 
special mission it evidently was, by means of his 
preaching, his writing, and the Institute which he 
founded, to inculcate in souls the importance, 
necessity, and efficacy of prayer for obtaining eternal 
salvation. So much so that those who have gone 
through his works, specially the one entitled The 
Great Means of Salvation, have unanimously pro- 
claimed him the Apostle and Doctor of Prayer. 

V. To all these recommendations may be added 
that of the experience that has been made of their 
utility among the faithful, who for the last century 
have eagerly sought after these pious formulas, and 
taken delight in the delicious and life-giving manna 
therein contained. 



UK own share in the present work has been 



that of compiling. We have collected the 



F*™" ! most beautiful of those prayers of St. Al- 
phonsus which are scattered through the numerous 
volumes of his Ascetic and Dogmatic Works, and 
we have arranged them in methodical order so as to 
make them useful to all. Many persons had ex- 
pressed a hope that such a compilation would some 
day be issued, and we now offer it to them in a 
convenient form, and hope it may meet their wishes. 
A glance at the Table of Contents will show that 
we have essayed to form a complete manual. All the 
indulgences mentioned may be gained by all the 
faithful in general, unless the contrary be expressly 
stated, and they are all to be found in " The Rac- 
colta," published by order of His Holiness Pope 



VIII. 




Pius IX. 



1 When an asterisk (*) is placed before any prayer, it indicates that 
that particular prayer has not been taken from the writings of St. 
Alphonsus. 



1 8 Pray, Pray Always ! 



We have placed at the commencement a calendar 
containing a sentence from our holy author for each 
day of the year, and we recommend its attentive 
perusal to the faithful. 

May many souls profit by this collection of prayers, 
which is but a prolonged echo of those salutary 
words so often repeated by St. Alphonsus, 
Pray, pray a /ways / 

Iq^jincarnate Word ! Thou didst give Thy blood 
5 and Thy life to fulfil Thy promise of giving 
y is lJ] to our prayers a marvellous efficacy in ob- 
taining all of which we stand in need. Why then, 
alas ! are we so negligent as not even to give our- 
selves the trouble of asking for those graces which 
are necessary to our salvation ? By conferring on 
us this great means of prayer Thou hast given us 
the key of Thy storehouse of divine treasures ; but 
if we do not pray, we shall certainly remain in our 
present miserable state. Dear Lord! enlighten us 
that we may understand how powerful with Thine 
eternal Father are those prayers which we address 
to Him in Thy name and through Thy merits. 

Mary, august Mother of God ! do thou obtain for 
us the spirit of prayer, so that, in all our necessities, 
we may never fail to have recourse to thy divine 
Son and to thee, for thou art the distributor of all 
graces and the Mother of mercy; thou wilt not 
allow any client of thine to go away empty-handed. 
All-powerful Virgin, thou dost obtain from God all 
that thou askest in behalf of thy faithful servants. 



Znble of Movable jfeasta. 



\ ear 

of 

Our 
Lord 


Ash- 
Wednes- 
day. 


Easter- 
Sunday. 


Ascen- 
sion-day. 


Whit- 
Sunday. 


Corpus 
Christi. 


First 
Sunday in 
Advent. 


1888 


Feb. 


IS 


April 


1 


May 


10 


May 


20 


May 


31 


Dec. 


2 


1889 


March 


6 


April 


21 


May 


30 


June 


9 




20 


Dec. 




1890 


Feb. 


*9 


April 


6 May 


15 


May 


2 5 


June 


5 


Nov. 


3° 


1891 


Feb. 


11 


March 


29 


May 


7 


May 


I 7 


May 


28|Nov. 


29 


1892 


March 


2 


April 


17 May 


26! June 


5 




16 Nov. 


27 


1893 


Feb. 


15 April 




May 


11 


May 


21 


June 


1 


Dec. 


3 


1894 


Feb. 


7 


March 


25 


May 


3 


May 


J 3 


May 


24 Dec. 


2 


1895 


Feb. 


27 


April 


14 


May 


23 


June 


2 




13 


Dec. 


1 


1 


Feb. 


19 


April 


5 


May 


14 


May 


24 


Tune 


4 


Nov. 


20 


1897 


March 


3 


April 


18 May 


27 


June 


6 


Tune 


17 


Nov. 


28 


1898 j Feb. 


23 


April 


10 


May 


*9 


May 


29 


Tune 


9 


Nov. 


27 


1899 


Feb. 


15 1 April 


2 


May 
May 


11 


May 




Tune 


T 


Dec. 


3 


1900 


Feb. 


28 April 
20 April 


15 


24 


June 


3 


Tune 


14 


Dec. 


2 


1901 


Feb. 


7 May 


161 May 


26 


June 


6 


Dec. 


1 


1902 


Feb. 


12 


March 


30 May 


8 


May 


18 


May 


29 


Nov. 


3° 


1903 iFeb. 


23 


April 


12 


May 


21 


May 


3 1 




11 


Nov. 


29 


1904 


Feb. 


17 April 


3 |May 


12 


May 


22 


Tune 


2 


Nov. 


27 


1905 


March 


8 April 


23 


June 


1 


June 




Tune 


22 


Dec. 


3 


1906 


Feb. 


28 April 


15 May 


24' June 


3 


Tune 


14 


Dec. 


2 


1907 


Feb. 


13 


March 


31 


May 


9 May 


x 9 


May 


3° 


Dec. 


1 


1908 


March 


4 


April 


igiMay 


28 June 


7 




18 


Nov. 


2 9 


1909 


Feb. 


24 


April 


11 


May 


20 


May 


3° 


June 


10 


Nov. 


28 


1910 


Feb. 


9 


March 


27 May 


5 May 


*5 


May 


26 Nov. 


27 


1911 


March 


1 


April 


16 May 


25 


June 


4 




i5 


Dec. 


3 


1912 


Feb. 




April 


7 


May 


16 May 


26 


June 


6 Dec. 


1 


1913 


Feb. 


2 c 
5 


March 


23 May 


1 


May 




May 


22 


Nov. 


3° 


1914 


Feb. 


25' April 


12 


May 


21 


May 


3 T 


June 


11 Nov. 


20 


1915 


Feb. 




April 


4 


May 


13 


May 


23 


June 




Nov. 


28 


1916 


March 


8 April 


23 


June 


1 


June 


11 


June 


22;DeC 


3 


1917 


Feb. 




April 


8 


May 


*7 


May 


27 


June 


7 


Dec. 


2 


1918 


Feb. 


v 3 


March 


3i 


May 


9 
20 


May 


10 


May 


3° 


Dec. 


1 


1919 


March 


5 


April 


20 


May 


June 


S 


June 


10 


Nov. 


30 


1920 Feb. 


18 


April 


4 


Mav 


13 May 


23 


June 


3 


Nov. 


28 


1921 


Feb. 


9 


March 


27 


May 


5 May 


15 


May 


26 Nov. 


27 


1922 


March 


1 


April 


16 


May 


25 June 


4 


June 


15 Dec. 


3 


1923 Feb. 


14 


April 


1 


May 


16 


May 


20 


May 


31 


Dec. 


2 


1924 


March 


5 April 


24 


May 


29 June 


8 


June 


10 


Nov. 


30 


!925 

1926 


Feb. 


25 


April 


12 


May 


21 May 


31 


June 


11 


Nov. 


20 


Feb. 


17! April 


4 May 


i3 ! 


May 


23 


June 


a 


Nov. 


28 


1927 


March 


2 j 


April 


17 May 


261 June 


5 


June 


16, Nov. 


27 


1928 


Feb. 




April 


8 May 


17! May 


27 


June 


7 


Dec. 


2 


1929 


Feb. 


3 | 


March 


*| 


May 


9|May 


ig|May 


3 °i 


Dec. 


1 



19 



January/ 



Protectors : SS. PETER and PAUL, Ap. 
Virtue : FAITH, p. 354- 

Text: / am the light of the world. (John viii. 12.) 



g 
A 



Circumcision of Our Lord. St. Euphrosyne, V., t 470 ; 
St. Fulgentius, B. and C, t 533; St. Odilo, Ab., 1 1049. 

Who knoweth whether this may not be the last year of 
my life ? 

St. Macarius of Alexandria, Cenobite, t395« 

The only affair with which we need occupy ourselves 
during this life is Eternity. 
St. Genevieve, V., '1*512; St. Constant, B.,A 519; St. Bertilla, 
K, t 687. 

With God there is no consideration of persons; He 
weighs only works. 
St. Angela of Foligno, W., 1 1309. 

The merit of faith consists in believing things which 
we do not understand, not through necessity, but volun- 
tarily. 

.9/. Telesphorus, P. and M., 1 139; St. Simeon Sty lit es, t459*, 
St. Emiliana, V., 550. 

Happy he who believes with a lively faith that he will 
soon enter into Eternity. 
Epiphany of Our Lord. .9/. Peter Thomas, B., 1 1366; 
Bl. John of Ribera, B., 1611. 

The hell of hells will be knowing that we hate a God 
who is infinitely worthy of being loved. 
St. Crispin, B., t248;\9/. Luc i an, M.,i3i2. 

It is faith that makes the just live in the grace of God. 
St. Gtidula, V., t 710; St. Cyr, B., +714. 

Whichever way the tree falls, be it to the north or to 
the south, there it will remain Eternally. 
St. Marciana, V. and M., 1309; St. Paschasia, V, and M., 
t 180; Bl. Philip Berruyer, B., 1 1261. 

Whoever prays to God has already obtained that which 
he is praying for; to pray and to receive are one and the 
same thing. 
St. William, B., 1 1209. 

Whoever thinks of Eteriiity and is not converted, has 
lost either his senses or the faith. 
St. Hyginus, P. and M., 1*142; St. Hortensius, B., t 804. 

Of what avail is it for a man to say he has faith if he 
does not show it by his works ? 
St. Ccesaria, V., t 540; St. Ferreol, M., f68o. 

If God did not protect me I should commit every crime. 



1 In addition to the names of Saints, we have given those of 
many of the Blessed for the sake of the Tertiaries of the various 
orders. The numbers placed after the names indicate the date of 
death. 



January 



2 I 



ii2,'St. Veronica of Milan, V., t 1497. 

A lively faith in the Eternity which awaits us can make 
us saints. 

g 14 St. Hilary, B. and D., t 36S: St. Felix, P. and C, +256; St. 
Benjamin, M., t424; Bl. Oderic, C, t 1331; Bl. Bernard 
of Corteon, C, Franciscan, + 1667. 

You believe that God sees you, and yet you would sin. 
15 St. Paul, Hermit, T342: St. Maurus, Ab., T584; Bl. An- 
drew of Pesctriera, C, 1 1485. 

The state of grace makes us enjoy here below the rights 
of a citizen of paradise and belong to the family of God. 
b 16 St. Marcellus, P. and M., t 310; St. Honoratus, B., t 420: 
.9/. Godfrey, C, tii27; Bl. Stephania of Quinzani, /*., 
t I53°- 

One single Mass procures more honor to God than all 
the penances of the saints, 
c 17 St. Antony, Ab., +356; St. Suipicius, B., T644; St. Leonella, 
M., t 166. 

When Eternity is at stake we cannot make too sure. 

3 Chair of St. Peter at Rome, a.d. 43. Bl. Beatrice of 
, Este, ]V., f 1262. 

He who soweth sins reapeth chastisements; he who 
soweth good works reapeth rewards. 
e'19 St. Canute. K. and M., tio86; St. Wulstan, B. and C, t T095. 

If we believe that there is one death, one judgment, one 
Eter?iity, let us try to live for God alone, 
f 20 St- Fabian, M., T250, and St. Sebastian, M., t 288 ; Bl. 
I Didier^ B., f 1194: St. Euthymius, Ab., t 473. 

The world weighs everything in a false balance; we 
must employ the just balance, that of faith, which will 
show us each thing at its true value. 
St. Agnes, V. and M., T304; St. Meinrad, M., t86i. 

If you believe in Eternity and yet sin, you are mad. 
St. Vincent, M., 1 304, and St. Anastasius. M., 1 628; St. 
Blesilla, IV., +383. 

Woe! woe! The gates of hell open once to admit 
those who enter in; but alas ! those gates never open to 
let any one pass out. 
23 The Espousals of the Bl. Virgin*. St. Paymond of Penna- 
fort, C, Franciscan, T1275; St. Emerentia, V. and M., 
t 304: St. Ildefonsus, B., t 667. 

Can they really believe in the Gospel who say: Happy 
are the rich, those who do not suffer, those who divert 
themselves. 

4 St. Timothy. B. and M., +97; St. Felician, B. and M.,+251. 
(.Novena of the Purification, p. 535.) 

He who saves a soul is more agreeable to God than one 
who distributes all his possessions in alms. 
25 Conversion of St. Paul, a.d. 35. St. Peppo, Ab., t 1048. 
No vena, p. 335. (Devotion to the Infant Jesus, p. 380.) 
All our sins come from want of faith. 



22 January. 

e 26 St. Polycarp, B. and M., 1 166; St. Alberic, Ab., f 1109; Bl. 
Margaret of Hungary, V., t 1271. Novena, p. 535. 

If faith did not assure us of it, who could ever believe 
what God has done out of love for us ? 
f 27 St. John Chrysostom, B. and D., t 407; St. Devota, V. and M.^ 
t3oo; St. Vitalian, P., 1671. Novena, p. 535. 

To speak of divine love to one who only loves the 
world is to speak in an unknown language to him. 
28 St. Cyril of Alexandria, 1* 444; St. Flavian, M.^^o\\ St. 
Julian, B., 1 3^ century ; Bl. Amadeus, B., 1*1158; Bl. 
Matthew of Agrigento, B. and C, + 1451. Novena, p. 535. 
There are very few deaths that do not arrive unexpect- 
edly. Jesus Christ has said : Be ye ready. 
St. Francis of Sales, B., Doctor of the Churchy 1 1622, p. ; 
St. Sulpicius Severus, B., t 410. Novena, p. 535. 

Either to love or to die ! Die to all other love so as to 
live to that of Jesus alone ! 
St. Martina, V. and M„ 1 226; St. Bathildes, Q., 1 680; St 
Aldegondes, V., t 660. Novena, p. 535. 

To such as have a lively faith in Eternity the earth 
becomes a desert, since they no longer desire to occupy 
themselves with its concerns. 
.9/. Peter Nolasco,^ C , 1 1256; 6"/. Marcella, IV., f 410- Bl. 
Louisa A lbertoni,W..-\ 1533; Bl. Viridiana, V., Franciscan. 
1 1242* .S\S". Athanasia, Eudoxia, and Theodasia, MM., 
t 300. Novena, p. 535. 

We should be ashamed to commit sin, but there is no 
shame in confessing it. 



Protector : St. ANDREW, Ap. 
Virtue : HOPE, p. 356. 

Text : Because he hoped in Me I will deliver him : I will protect 
him because he hath known My name. (Ps. xc. 14.) 



d 1 St. Ignatius, B. and M., t 107; St. Ephrem, C, t 378; Bl. An- 
dreiv de Comitibus, C. Franciscan, 1 1302. Novena, p. 535 
Christian hope is a certain expectation of eternal hap- 
piness. 

e 2 Purification of the B. V. Mary. St. Sigebert, K. and C, 
t 656. Novena, p. 535. 

The devotion which Mary loves best is the having re- 
course to her constantly, 
f 3 .9/. Blaze, B. and M., t 316; St. Veronica,* 70; St. Adelin, Ab., 
t6a6; St. Anscharius, B., 1*865; Bl. Simon of Cassia, C, 
t 1348. 

God values our salvation much higher than the devil 



b 30 



jfebruan?. 23 

values our loss, for God loves us more than the devil 
hates us. 

g 4 St. Andreiv Corsini, i>. v t 1373; St. Jane Valois, W., 1 1505; 
St. Joseph of Leonissa, C, Franciscan, 1 1612; Bl. John of 
Bretto. M., 1 1693. 

Our confidence in obtaining graces from God is the 
measure of those He confers on us. 
A 5 St. Agatha, V. and M., t 251; St. Adelaide, V. and Ab. 1 1015; 
the 26 Martyrs of Japan^ Franciscans and Jesuits. 1 1597. 
By prayer our soul acquires a divine strength which 
raises it above all created power, 
b 6 St. Dorothy, V. and M., t 304; St. Amandus, B. and C. t 1 684; 
St. Hyacintha de Mariscotti, V., Franciscan, t 1640. 

How could He who suffered so much for my salvation 
refuse me the graces necessary for it ? 
c 7 St. Romuald, B. and C, 1 1027; St. Richard, K. and C, 1 722; 
Bl. A ntony of Stronconio, C., Franciscan, 1 1471. 

When Our Lord sees that we are relying on men He 
withdraws Himself from us. 
d 8 St. John of Matha, C, 1 1213. 

Of what avail is it to a rich man to possess heaps of gold 
if he is without God ? 
e 9 St. A pollonia, V. and M., 1 249; St. Ausbert, B. and C, t 695. 

By saving a soul you predestinate your own. 
f 10 St. Scholastica, V., t 543; St. Clare of Rimini, V.. 1 1346; Bl. 
William of Brabant, f 1240; Bl. Bernard of Scammaca, 
C, Dominican, 1 1486. 

God desires more ardently to bestow His graces on us 
than we do to receive them, 
g 11 St. Odo, B., t88o; St. Severinus, Ab., t 507; St. Saturninus, 
M., t 303; The Seven Founders of the Servites, 13th century; 
St. Adolphus, B., 1 1222; Bl. Peter de Garda, C, Franciscan. 
t 1505; First Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes, 1858. 
The highest degree of charity is that of heartily desiring 
to unite ourselves with God in heaven. 
A 12 St. Eulalia, V. and M., t 304; Bl. Christina Lie are Hi, V., 
1 1543; Bl. Nicholas Longobard, t 1709. 

Mass is the work which obtains for us the greatest 
amount of divine grace, 
b 13 St. Gilbert, B.. + 1019; St. Martinianus, Hermit, 830; St. 
Catherine de Ricci, V., 1 1590. 

Whoever places his whole confidence in Our Lord will, 
by Him, be rendered all-powerful. 
C 14 St. Valentine, M., t 273; Bl. Angel of Gualdo, C, + 1325; Bl. 
John the Baptist of the Conception, C, Trinitarian, f 1613. 
Had we not Jesus Christ how unhappy should we be ! 
d 15 SS. Faustinus and Zooitce, MM., 1 122; St. Georgia, V., f 500; 
Bl. Jordan, C, Dominican, t 1237. 

We have to do with a good Master: so soon as He sees 
a soul humiliated after a fault, He takes it in His arms 
and presses it to His Heart. 



24 -February. 

e 16 St. Juliana, V. and M., t 299; Bl. Philippa Mareria, V., 
Franciscan, 1*1236; Bl. Gregory , P. and C., 11276. 

Acts of resignation and confidence in God's mercy are 
singularly acceptable to Him when made in time of trial, 
f 17 The Flight into Egypt, p. 434. St. Mariana, V.. t 1st century; 
St. Constance, V., T346; St. Silvin, B. and C, T718; St. 
Evermodus, B., f 1168. 

God hates sin, but He can never hate a soul that detests 
its sins. 

g 18 St. Simeon, B. and M., tio9; St. Flavian, B., 1 449; Bl. 
Christina Oringa, V., Dominican* 1 1310. 

In order to inspire us with greater confidence, Jesus 
Christ willed that our redemption should be not merely 
sufficient but superabundant. 
A 19 Bl. Conrad, C, Franciscan, T1351; St. George, B., t884: Bl. 
Alvarez, C. Dominican, 1 1420; Bl. Elizabeth Picenardi, V., 
Servile, 1 1468; Bl. Archangel Girlani, V., Carmelite, 1 1491. 
The more our soul is sick, the more should she have 
recourse to the great remedy of Communion, 
ft 20 St. Eleutherius. B. and M., T531; St. Eucherius, B. and C, 
T738; St. Paulina, V., t 400. 

It is a certain and infallible truth that God grants the 
prayer of whoever prays to Him with confidence, 
c 21 Bl. Aimon Taparelli, C., Dominican, 1 1495. 

Insults, sickness, poverty, persecutions, all work to- 
gether for good for those who love God. 
d 22 The Chair of St. Peter at Antioch. St. Antonina, M., 
t 300; St. Margaret 0/ Cortona, P., Franciscan, 1 1297; Bl. 
Jane Bonomi, V., 1 1670. 

What a consolation for us to be able to say: We belong 
to Jesus Christ; we are His property, 
e 23 St. Peter Damian, B. and D., 1 1072. 

Our greatest suffering in hell will be the thought of 
how easily we might have saved our souls by prayer, 
f 24 St. Matthias, Ap., 163; Bl. Robert of Arbrissel, C, tni7; 
St. Ethelbert, K. and C, 1 616. 

He who soweth little shall reap little. How can our 
Saviour lavish His favors on us when we are so negligent 
in His service ? 

H 25 SS. Avertan and Romeo, C, Carmelite, 1 1380; Bl. Constant 0/ 
Fabriano, C, Dominican, T1481; Bl. Sebastian ab Appari- 
tio, C, Franciscan, 1 1600. (Dev. to the Infant Jesus, p. 381.) 
Divine love is an amiable thief that despoils us of all 
earthly love. 
A 26 St. Irene, V., T420; St. A uspicius, B., T487. 

Jesus Christ has purchased us, not at the price of gold, 
but at the price of His blood and His life, 
b 27 St. Leander, B., T596; St. Honoria, V. and M., t3c>3; St. John 
of Vandieres, C, T973. 

All children have a right to the heritage of their parents; 
as children of God, then, we have a right to paradise. 



3Februar£. 



CI28I.S'/. Oswald. C. tg22; Bl. V ill ana de Boltis, V. % Dominican, 
1 1360; Bl. Antoinette 0/ Florence, V., Franciscan, t 1472; 
I Bl. Thomas a Cori. C. Franciscan, f 1729. 

Let no one think little of his prayer since God does not 
disdain it, for He either grants us what we ask or else 
I something more useful to us. 



Aarcb* 

Protector : ST. JAMES THE GREAT, Ap. 
Virtue ■ LOVE OF GOD, .p. 358. 

Text : Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart. 
(Mark xii. 30.) 

d 1 St. David, B. and C, Patron of Wales, t544; St. A Menus, 
B. and C, t437; St. Eudoxia, P., 1 114. 

God confers a signal favor on a soul when He calls it 
to His holy love, 
e 2\St. Nestor. B. and M., +251; Bl. Henry Suso, C. and D., 
1 1365; Bl. Eustochia of Messina, V., Franciscan, 1 1500; St. 
Charles the Good, M.. t 1124. 

Loving aspirations keep divine love alive in our hearts, 
f 3 St. Thais, P^f^^o; St. Camilla, V.. +437; St. Cunegundes, 
V.. t 1040; Bl. Nicholas Albergati, B., t 1443; BL Jacob 
Canepacci, C, Carmelite, +1598. 

He who has God has all; he who has not God has 
nothing, 
g 4 St. Casimir, C, 11483. 

The soul that truly loves God would a thousand times 
prefer death to a single deliberate venial sin. 
A 5 St. John-Joseph of the Cross. C. Franciscan, 1 1734. 

Every act of love merits a fresh paradise, 
b' 6\Bl. Humbert of Savoy, t 1188; St. Cyril, C, Carmelite, + 1224; 
j St. Colette. V.. Franciscan, t 1447. 

If God, out of love for me. had suffered but one blow, 
I ought to burn with love of Him, saying: A God has 
vouchsafed to be struck for my sake, 
c 7 St. Thomas Aquinas, C. and D., Dominican, 1 1274; SS. Per- 
petua and Felicitas, MM., t 204. 

Of what avail to a learned man to understand all the 
sciences if he does not know how to love God ? 
d 8 St. John of God. C, t 1550. 

He who loves not Jesus Christ shows thereby that he 
does not know Him. 
e| 9 ! 6V. Frances of Rome. IV., Franciscan, t T440; St. Catherine of 
Bologna. V.. Franciscan, T1463; St. Pacian, B., t 380. 

Either heaven or hell: either to be saved or to be 
I I damned: there is no middle path. 



26 flDarcfo* 

The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste, t 320; Bl. John Sarcander, M., 
t 1620. (Novena of St. Joseph, p. 557.) 

Did the martyrs indeed make so great a sacrifice when 
they gave their lives for Jesus Christ, Who had died for 
love of them ? 

St. Sophronius, B., 1 638; 67. Vindicien, B.,fji2; St. Eulo- 
gius, P. and M., t 859; 67. Lucrecia, M., iS^g; Bl. Ay raid, 
B., 1 1146, p. 557- 

The amount of love for God which we possess at our 
death will be the measure wherewith we shall love Him 
eternally. 

St. Gregory, P. and D., t 604; St. Maximilian, M., t 296; St. 
Josephine, or Fina, V., 1 1253. 

He who knows how to love God is more learned than 
all those learned men who know not how to love Him. 
St. Euphrasia, V., 1412; St. Nicephorus, B. and C, t 828; 
Bl. Boniface of Savoy, B., t 1270, p. 557. 

The amount of love which we bestow on creatures is 
taken from that which we ought to give to God. 
6"/. Florentine, V., T632; St. Zacharias, P., 1752; St. Mathil- 
da, Ejnp., +968, p. 557. 

Divine love is like honey, which sweetens the bitterest 
things and renders them agreeable. 
15 B. Louis Morbiole, C, Carmelite, 1 1490, p. 557. 
All that is done for God is love of God. 
: 16 St. Eusebia, V., f 660; St. Heribert, B., f 1021; Bl. Peter of 
Siena, artisan, C, t 1289. (Novena of the Annunciation, 
P- 536.) p. 557- 

One tear shed at the remembrance of the Passion of 
Jesus Christ is worth more than a year's fasting on bread 
and water. 

f 17 St. Patrick, B. and C, Apostle of Ireland, t 464^. 557, p. 536. 

So long as our heart is filled with earthly things, divine 
love cannot enter in, for it finds no room, 
g 18 St. Gabriel, Arch.; St. Cyril of Jerusalem, B., t 3 86; 67. Ed- 
ward, K. and M., 1978; 67. Anselm of Lucca, C, 1 1086; 
Bl. Evrard, Count of Nons, + \^th century; Bl. Salvador de 
Horta, C, 1 1567, p. 557, p. 536. 

He who loves God ought to desire death, since death 
unites us eternally to Him. 
A 19 St. Joseph. Bl. Margaret of Metola, V., Dominican, 1 1320; 
Bl. Sybil the Blind, V., Dominican, 1 1367. p. 557, p. 536. 
Go to St. Joseph if you wish to be consoled, 
b 20 Bl. John of Parma, C, Franciscan, ti28g; St. Hipfiolytus 
Galantini, 1 1619, p. 536. 

A God dying for love of us — oh, what a subject of medi- 
tation for our whole life and throughout Eternity / 
St. Benedict, Ab.,"f 543; Bl. Clemence of Hohenberg, V., 1 1176; 
B. Hugolino, C, Augustinian, 1 1470, p. 536. 

Many desire to attain perfection, but never make use of 
the necessary means. 



flBarcb. 



27 



d 22[6Y. Catherine of Siueden, V., 1 1381, p. 536. 

What a wonderful excess of divine love: a God suffer- 
ing- punishment for my sake ! Can I do otherwise than 
love this God ? 

23 6Y. Vtctvrien, M., t 484; St. Turibius, B., 1 1606; Bl. Joseph 
Oriol, C, t 1702, p. 536. 

God lavishes his favors only on those who have a hearty 
desire of His love, 
f 2416'/. Simon, Infa?it M., f 1430; BL Joseph Mary Tonunasi, C, 
t 1713s P- 536. 

Offering- our death to God is the most perfect act of love 
we can offer Him. 
The Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. 
\Puirinus,M.,i26g,p.s3 ) 6. (Devotion to the Infant Jesus, p. 382.) 
It is impossible that a faithful servant of Mary should 
be damned. 
2616V. Ludger, B., +809; St. Emmanuel, M. 

Who is it that really loves God? He who keeps His 
commandments. 

27 St. Rupert, B.,\ 718; St. A ugustine of Ceneda, V. and M., 1 5th 
century; Bl. Bizzerius of Mucia, C, Franciscan, t 1236. 
The damned would give any price for one hour in which 
to love God, but this hour they will never have ! 
28 \Bl. Jane Mary de Maille, W., Franciscan, 1 1414. 

Resolution ! Resolution ! The devil has no fear of ir- 
resolute souls. 

29[6V. Bertholdus. C. y Carmelite, 1 1188; St. Ludolphus.B . and M., 
ti25o; Bl. Paula Gambara-Costa, W., Franciscan, T1505 
Life is painful and death desirable to him who loves 
God and desires to behold Him. 
30 St. John Climacus, Ab.. t6o5; Bl. Amadeus IX., C. f 1492. 

A thread, of no matter w r hat thickness, is sufficient to 
! hinder a soul from rising to God. 
f 316V. Balbina. V. and M., t 169; St. Cornelia, M.; Bl. Nicholas 
of Flue, C, t 1487. 

When we have given ourselves entirely to God we may 
I be sure of never again leaving Him, 



Hpril. 

Protector: St. JOHN, Ap. 
Virtue : CHARITY TO OUR NEIGHBOR, p. 360. 
Text : This is my commandment, that ye love one another as I 
have loved you. (John xv. 12.) 

g 1 St. Valery, Ab., t6so; St. Hugh, B., T1132; Bl. Catherine 
Thomas. V., t 1574. 

St. John says that he who sayeth that he loves God and 
yet hateth his brother is a liar. 



28 Hprtt. 



St. Francis of Paula, C, t 1507; St. Mary of Egypt, 1 421; St. 
Nizier, B., 1 573. 

At the sight of a crucifix we should exclaim with St. 
Francis of Paula: O God of Charity ! O God of Charity ! 
O God of Charity ! 
St. Nicetas, Ab., +824; St. Richard, B. and C, 1 1253; St. 
Benedict the Moor, C, Franciscan, 1 1589. 

He who renders a service to his neighbor in a way 
makes God his debtor. 
St. Isidore, B. and Z>.,t6 39 ; B. Aleth, tuoo; B. Jane of 
Signa, V., Franciscan, 1 1350. 

A house where charity does not reign is a den of Satan. 
St. Vincent Ferrer, C, t 1419; St. Gerald, Ab., +1095; St. 
Juliana of Cornillon, V., 1 1258; Bl. Vincent Sossio, M.. 
aged 5 years, 1 1480. 

When our heart is filled with faith, how sweet it is to 
kneel before an altar ! 
6 St. Marcellinus, M., 1413; St. Celestine, P. and C, iw, St. 
Prudentius, B., t 861. 

Giving to the poor is lending to God, who will never 
fail to repay with interest. 
Bl. Herman Joseph, C, Premonstratensian, t 1220. 

Hatred must be overcome by love, and persecution by 
gentleness. 

St. Gautier, Ab., tiogg; St. Perpetuus, B. and C, t4 9 4; Bl. 
Julian of St Augustine, C, Franciscan, 1 1606. 

As an index to how much you love God, examine how 
much you love your neighbor. 
96"/. Walt rude, V., f 686; Bl. Ubald of Arimari, C., Servile, 
t 131 3; Bl. Crescentia, V., Franciscan, t 1744. 

Charity consists in bearing with what is unbearable in 
our neighbor. 

10^. Fulbert, B., 1 1028; St. Palladius, B., t6 5 8; Bl. Antony 
Neyrol, C., Dominican, t 1460. 

One single instant is worth God to us, since at each 
instant we can, by means of an act of contrition or love, 
win the grace of God and eternal glory. 
St, Leo, P. and D., t 461. 

Without charity man is nothing, and nothing he can do 
is of profit to his soul. 
St. Julius, P. and C, t352; St. Constantine, B., +455; Bl. 
Angelo of Cevasso, C, Franciscan, t 1495. 

He who loves God would wish to see all hearts 
inflamed by the same fire that is burning in his own 
heart. 

St. Hermenegild, M., ts86; The Good Thief, t33? St. Jus- 
tinius, M., t 167; Bl. Ida, W., t 1113. 

How admirable are the effects of prayer: two sinners 
expire, one on each side of Jesus Christ; the one who 
prays is saved; the other does not pray, and he is 
lost ! 



BpriL 



2 9 



g 1 

A ] 



■ 23 



5\S\ Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus, MM., 1 229; 
Lidwina, V., 1 1433; 67. Benezet, 1 1184. 

All love is frivolous and dangerous that has not its 
origin in the Passion of Our Saviour. 
St. Peter Gonzales, C, Dominica?i, ti248. 

Be not one of those whose tongue can touch nothing 
without skinning it. 
St. Paternus, B., t56s; St. Druon, Recluse, 1 1186; St. Jo- 
achim of Siena, C, Servile, 1 1305; Benedict Joseph Labre, 
C, +1783. 

Practising charity is a means of gaining much from God. 
St. Anicetus, P. and M., t 173; St. Landry, B., t 675; Bl. 
Clare of Gambacorli, V., Dominican., 1 142 ; Bl. Mary A 7ine 
of Jesus, V., 1 1624. 

Were you to die this very day, would your accounts be 
found in order ? 
Bl. Francis Venimbeni, C, Franciscan, 1 1322; Bl. Mary of 
the Incarnation, IV., 1 1618. 

Where charity does not exist there can be neither recol- 
lection, nor peace, nor God. 
St. Ursjuar, Abbot, t7i3; St. Werner, M., 11287. 

He who prays for others will more readily be heard 
when he prays for himself. 
St. Agnes of Montefiulciano, Abbess. V., Dominican, 11317; 
Bl. Gerard, C., tii2o; James of Illyria, C, Franciscan, 
ti485. 

Without the love of God, all the virtues we can amass 
are as worthless as a heap of stones. 
67. Anselm, B. and D., 1*1109; St. Simon, B., 1345; St. An- 
astasius, C.. t 687. 

The saints take vengeance by loving and praising those 
who have injured them, and by overwhelming them with 
benefits. 

SS. Soter, 1 177, and Cams, tz95, PP., MM.; St. 0/>/>ortuna, 
V. and M., t 770. 

Speak of others as you would that they should speak of 
you. 

St. George, M., t 3 o 3 ; 67. Adalbert, B. and M.. tg 9 7; St. 
Gerard, B. and C, 1904; Bl. Giles, C, Franciscan, 
+ 1272. 

A judgment without mercy awaits him who shows not 
mercy by pardoning his enemy. 
St. Fidelis of Sr'gmaringen, M., Franciscan, t 1622; 6"6\ Bona 
and Doda, VV., t673; St. Robert of Casa Dei, Ab., 11067; 
St. Egbert, C, t 729. 

God bestows no marks of love on souls which are cov- 
ered with the leprosy of habitual venial sins. 
St. Mark, Evangelist, t 68. (Devotion to the Infant Jesus, 
P- 3§3-) 

As our prayer mounts to heaven God's grace descends 
on us. 



3° Bprtt. 



Our Lady of Good Counsel, p. 531. SS. Cletus, t89, and 
Marcellinus, f 304, PP., MM.; St. Paschasius, Ab. C, 1 864. 
An ounce of charity is worth more than a hundred cart- 
loads of right. 

St. Zita, V., 1*1278; St. Peter Armengol, C, 1304; St. An- 
thimtis, B. and M., t3<>3; Bl. Philippa of Mareri, P., 
Franciscan, t 1236. 

Fire cannot t>e extinguished by fire, nor wrath by wrath. 
St. Vitalis, M., tiyi; St. Theodora, V. aizd M., 1304; Bl. 
Augustine Novello, C, Augustinian, 1 1309. 

You wish others to be indulgent to your faults; learn, 
then, to be indulgent to the faults and imperfections of 
others. 

St. Peter, M., t 1252; St. Antonia, V., +260; 6"/. Robert of 
Molesme, C. Ad., 1 11 10. 

It is now that we must perform the good works which 
at our death we would wish to have done. 
St. Catherine of Siena, V., Dominican, 1 1380; St. Eustella, 
V., t 1st century; St. Pulchronius, B., 1476; St. Desire, C, 

True charity consists in doing good to those who do us 
evil, and thus winning them. 



Protector: St. THOMAS, Ap. 

Virtue : DETACHMENT, p. 362. 

Text: Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven. (Matt. v. 3.) 



b 1 SS. Philip and James, Apostles, t6i; St. Walburga, V., 
t78o; St. Honoria, V., t45i; St. Marcou, Ab. C, tss8; St. 
Petronilla, V., f 1355. 

Bear in mind that death will soon despoil you of every- 
thing and banish you from the world, 
c 2 St. Athanasius, B. and D., t 373' St. Walbert, Ab., t 665. 

What earthly goods can compensate for the loss of one's 
soul ? 

d 3 Invention of the Holy Cross in 326. SS. Alexander and 
Theodulus, PP., MM., fug; BL Emily Bicchieri, V., Do- 
minican, 1 13*4; 'St. Juvenal, B. and C, t 376; Bl. Stanislas 
Salty s, 1 1489. 

We gain more merits in one day by supporting trials 
sent us by God, or caused by our neighbor, than in ten 
years of sufferings inflicted by ourselves. 



31 



. St. Monica, JJ'.. +3S7: St. Pierian. M.. +257: St. Gcdard, B. 
and C. + xc;S: Bl. PhiiiJ> of A quila, C. Franciscan. \ £456; 
Bl. Ladislas Gielnoio. C. Franciscan. 15 15. 

Jesus Christ desires to possess our whole hearts and to 
have no rival. 

\St. Pius V., P., C, Dominican, t 1572; St. Angelus, M., Car- 
melite, t 1225. 

Death's sinister shadow obscures all dignities. 
> St. John before the Latin Gate. a.d. 05. St. John Damas- 
cene. Father 0/ the Church, t 7S0: St. Eadberi. B. and C, 
t6o8; St. Prude ntia, V. t Augustinian, 1 1492. 

All vain personal adornment besoeaks a" vain soul. 
' St. Stanislas, B. and M., 11079: St. John of Bezerley, B. and 
C.,i 7 2i. 

Of what value are heaped-up treasures to a dying man ? 
6\ Apparition of St. Michael, Archangel, a.d. 402. St. Wicro. 
B., t jth century. 

How sweet it is to repose in the arms of divine love! 
9 St. Gregory Nazianzen. B. and Doctor of the Church, T389. 

The pearl of the love of God is a more precious jewel 
than anv to be found amongst worldly treasures. 
10 *SV. Antonius. B. and C, +1459; Marina, M., +362; Bl. 
Beatrix Atestina, V., + 1226. 

Death is a thief who steals even-thing from us. our 
riches, dignities, parents, even our beauty and our skin. 
_ 11 St. Francis de Girolamo, C. Jesuit, 1 1716. 

In this world no one is happier than he who despises all 
its wealth. 

f i i2|6\S\ Nereus, Achilleus, and Domitilla, MM., +90: St. Pa ti- 
er as. M.. T304; St. Ej>if>hanius. B., T403; St. Jane of 
Portugal, V.. Dominican. +1490; Bl. Imelda, V., 1 1333. 
Tne mournful shadow of death shows that all which 
the world esteems most highly is but smoke, filth, vanity, 
and misery. 

I St. Paul of the Cress. C + i775: 5"/. Serz'atius. B.. +384: St. 
Peter Regalati. C. Franciscan, T1456; Bl. Albert d'Ogna, 
Workman, t 1279. 

"Whoever loses his soul loses it because he chooses to lose it. 
\ St. Boniface, M.. +304: St. Pachomius. A3., t 348: St. Pascal. 
P., t 824: St. Egidius de Santarem, C, Dcmi?iican, T1265; 
St. Corona, V., t "zd century. 

How many there are who out of a desire to please 
others nesrlect to save their souls ! 
, St. Dympna, V. and M.. f 7 th century; St.Achillus, B., +330; 
St. Isidore, Laborer, C, t 1170. 

The more we despoil ourselves of earthly treasures the 
more do we .enrich ourselves with heavenly ones. 
) St. Ubaldus. B.. t 1160; St. Simon Stock. C, Carmelite. 1 1265; 
St. John Nefomucen. B. and J/., 1 1383 ; Bl. Andrew Bo- 
bola, C, Jesuit, t 1657. 

The avaricious man is an idolater, for he makes a god 
of his money. 



g 13 



: 4 



16 



32 /H5a£, 



A: 
b s 



: 23 



> 29 



.SV. Pascal Baylon, C, 1*1592. , 

One heart is too little wherewith to love God. 
St. Venantius, M., t25o; St.. Theodotus, Vintner, 1303. 

Imagine, my soul, that Jesus is now addressing this 
question to thee: Whom seekest thou? 
St. Peter Celestin, P. and C, 1-1296; St. Pudentiana, V. and 
M., t id century; St. Dunstan, 1 988; St. Ives, C, 1 1303; Bl. 
Emiliana of Florence, W., Franciscan, t 1246. 

Those who love to please men are despised by God. 
St. Bernardin 0/ Siena, C, Franciscan, ^1444; St. Ethel- 
bert, K. and M.,i 793; St. Basilla, V. and M., f 268; Bl. 
Columba of Rieti, V., Dominican, t 1501. 

Were I to die to-day, would I die content with the life 
I have led ? 
St. Felix of Cantalice, C, t 1587. 

A soul completely weaned from all earthly affection 
will be found filled with love of God. 
St. Julia, V. and M., 1 626; St. Eviilius, M., +210; St. 
Lupus ) B., 1640; Bl. Pitta de Cascia, V., Augustinian, 
t 1456. 

The day will come when you will be thrown into a 
grave to rot, with worms for your only garment. 
St. Florentius, C. t t 548; Bl. Crispinodi Viterbo, C, Francis- 
can, 1*1750; Bl. John Baptist Rossi, C, t 1764; St. Deside- 
rius, B. and M., t 411. 

No means are spared for gaining a lawsuit, whilst the 
affair of eternal life is entirely laid aside. 
Our Lady, Help of Christians. SS. Donatian and Roga- 
tian, MM., t 288. 

He who thinks of death cannot love the world. 
St. Gregory VII., P. and C, t 1085; St. Urban, P. and M., 
t 230; St. Mary of Pazzi, V., Carmelite, t 1607. (Devotion 
to the Infant Jesus, p. 384.) 

Better lose all than lose God. 
St. Philip Neri, C, t 1595; St. Augustine, A p. of England. 
B. and C, t 604; St. Prisons, M., t 254; Bl. Mary Ann of 
Quito, V., Franciscan, t 1645. 

A thought of eternity suffices to make a saint. 
St. John, P. and M., t 526; The Venerable Bede, C, Father 
of the Church, t 735. 

What more can we desire when we possess the Blessed 
Sacrament ? 

St. Theodolus, C, t 450; St. Germanus, B., t 576; BL Mary 
Bartolomia Bagnesi, V., Dominican, t 1577; Bl. John of 
Jesus and Mary, C, Carmelite, t 1615. 

In a short time my house, my gardens, my furniture, 
my rich clothing, will be no longer mine. 
St. Maxi77iinus, B., t 349; St. Cyril, Infant M., t 3^. century; 
St. Bona, V., t 1207. 

How can we expect God to be generous to us when we 
are so avaricious towards Him ? 



i 

33 



St. Felix, P. and M., t 274; St. Ferdinand III., K. and M., 
t 1252. 

Of what avail are riches when a coffin alone is wanted ? 
St. Petronilla, V., f 81; St. Angela Merici, V., t 1540. 

If you were now dead, what would you wish to have 
done ? • 



June* 



Protector: ST. JAMES THE MINOR, Ap. 
Virtue : PURITY OF BODY AND HEART, p. 364* 

Text : Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. 
(Matt. v. 8.) 



St. Theobaldus of Mondovi, Shoemaker, C,tnso. 

Purity of intention consists in doing 1 all solely with a 
view to pleasing God. 
SS. Marcellinus, Peter, and Erasmus, MM., t 304; St. 
Pothinus, B., and St. Blandina, V., MM., t 177; St. Eu- 
genius, P., 1 657. 

For an Instant of pleasure an Eternity of suffering ! 
St. Clotildis, Q., t 545; St. Genesius, B. and C, t 662; St. 
Kelvin, B., t 618. 

The science of this world renders man similar to the 
brutes, by teaching him to follow his sensual inclinations 
as the brutes do. 
St. Francis Caracciolo, C, 1 1608; St. Op tat us, B. and C., 
t \th century. 

In whatever degree I have taken pleasure in sinning, 
in that same degree have I increased the sorrows of the 
Heart of Jesus during His whole life. 
St. Boniface, B. and M., t 754. 

Each victory over temptation wins us a fresh crown. 
St. Norbert, B. and C., 1 1134; -SY. Claude, B. and C., i6gg. 

Live in such a manner that you may ,merit receiving 
holy Communion every day. 
St. Gilbert, Ab., tusz; St. Vulphy, C., +643. 

How can any one resist temptations at the hour of death 
when he has accustomed himself to yielding to them dur- 
ing his life. 

.95. Medard and Gildard, B. and C., t 545; St. Clou, B., 1 696; 
St. William of York, B. and C, 1 1154. 

Accursed sins ! it was ye who filled the loving Heart of 
my Redeemer with bitterness ! 
Our Lady of Graces. SS. Primus and Felicianus, MM., 
t 286; St. Coluntba, Ab., t 597; St. Pelagia, V. and M., t 304. 
Woe to that soul which lives at peace with sin, even 
with venial sin ! 



34 June. 



St. Margaret, Q., 1*1093; St. Landry, B. and C, t about 
700. 

Love Jesus, and love specially His divine Heart, which 
is so ravishing, and His will, which is so adorable. 
St. Barnabas, Ap., t6t; St. Roseline of Villeneuve, V., 
t 1550. 

Of what avails personal beauty, since very soon nothing 
will remain of it but worms, stench, and rottenness? 
St. John of Sahagun, C, A ugustinian, t 1479; St. Onuph- 
rius. Hermit, 1400; Bl. Guy of Cortona, C, Franciscan, 
t 1250. 

A temptation confessed is half conquered. 
St. Antony of Padua, C, Franciscan, t 1231. 

Divine love exists in proportion with purity of heart. 
St. Basil, B. and Doctor of the Church, 1380; 6"VS. Kufinus 
and Valerius, MM., 1287. 

At the day of judgment the sinner will suffer more 
horrible torment from shame than even from the flames 
of hell. 

Vitus, Crescentia. and Modestus, MM., 1 303: St. Ger- 
maine Cousin. V., ti6oi; St. Landelin, Ad., t 680. 

God is not saving of his favors; He always gives more 
than is asked of Him. 
St. John Francis Regis, C, Jesuit, + 1640; St. Lutgarda, V., 
t 1246. 

This earth is a battlefield, where we must conquer, or 
perish eternally. 
Bl. Paul d'Arezzo, Card, and C, 11578; St. Botolph, Ab. 
t6 55 . 

Let us imitate the love of the blessed, who, whilst loving 
God, seek only to please Him. 
SS. Marcus and Marcellianus. MM., +286; St. Fortunatus, 
B., 1569; St. Marina, V., fSth century; St. A viand, B., 
t 5M century. 

How many people have lost their souls through the in- 
discreet use of their eyes ! 
St. Juliana Falconieri. V., Augustinian, t 1340; iS^S*. Ger- 
vasius and Protasius, MM., t 66; St. Deodatus, B., t 679; St. 
Jude, Disciple, M., 1 1st century. 

Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is our earthly paradise. 
St. Silver ius, P. and M.,i 538; St. Idaberga, V., 1 1038; St. 
Florentine, V. , t 630. 

This divine Heart, which loves us so well, deserves that 
we should do all we can to content it. 
St. Aloysius, C, Jesuit, t 1591; St. Ralph, B. and C, t 866. 

Pleasures, amusements, pomp, praise — all pass away, 
and what remains ? A grave, a sepulchre. 
St. Paulinus of Nola, B. and C, 1431; Ten thousand soldiers 
crucified on Mount Ararat, 1 12; St. Alban, M., t 303. 

So long as we do not give ourselves entirely to God, we 
are always in danger of losing Him. 



June. 



35 



f 23 St. Etheldreda, V. and Ab.. +679; St. Mary of Oignies, t 1213; 
Bl. Christina the A dmirable {of Stommelen), V., t 1312. 
(Xovena of the Visitation, p. 538.) 

Where Jesus Christ dwells by His love, there modesty 
is also to be found. 
g 24 Nativity of St. John the Baptist. (Xovena. p. 538.) 

By means of receiving- purity itself in the Eucharist you 
will yourself become pure. 
. 25 St. William, Ad., t 1142; St. Prosper of Aquitaine. £., t 466: 
St. Thecla. V.. t 6th century. (Devotion to the Infant Jesus, 
p. 385/) (Novena, p. 538.) 

All enjovments will one dav end in a last sigh, in a tomb! 
> 26 SS. John and Paul, MM., +362*; St. Maxentius, A b., t 5 i 5 ; 
St. Ant helm, B. and C, 1 11 78; St. Pelagius, Infant, 
T925. (Xovena, p. 538.) 

The worst fault of all is losing one's soul, for it is a 
fault withou* a remedy. 
: 27 St. Ladislas, K. and C, t 1095; Bl. Benzenuto, C, Francis- 
can, t 1232; St. Hadelin. C, t 700. (Xovena, p. 538.) 

Xo creature is capable of satisfying the heart of man 
since it was created for God. Who is infinite. 
1 28 St. Leo II.. P. and C, t688; St. Irenaus, B. and M., +202. 
(Xovena, p. 538.) 

Xo price can pay the least thing we do for God. 
e 29 St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles, + 66. p. 538. 

He who fails because he has neglected prayer has no 
excuse. 

f 30 Comm. St. Paul. Ap.; St. Marshal. Ap.. + 1st century; St. 
Bertrand, B., 1 623; St. Adilia, V. % +650; Bl. Rayjuond 
Lulle, M.. Franciscan, 1 1315. p. 53S.) 

God rewards our actions in proportion to the purity of 
I I our intention in performing them. 



Protector : ST. PHILIP, Ap. 
Virtue : OBEDIENCE, p. 366. 

Text : You are My friends if you do the things that I command 
you. (John xv. 14.) 

g \ St. Rumrold. B. and 31.. + 77; : St. Leonorus. B.. + 4th century; 
I St. Gal. B.. + S5V, St. Theobald. C.,tio66. (Novena, p. 538.) 
Obedience is what the devil most abhors. 
A 2 Visitation B. V. M. 6\S\ Processus and Martinian, MM,. 
t66: St. Otho. B., t 1 139. (Novena. p. 538.) 

If we desire the happiness of being visited by Mary, let 
us ourselves often visit her in some representation of her. 



36 3ulS< 



b 3 
c 4 



6"^. Raymond of Toulouse, C, 1 1074. 

The voice of the confessor is the voice of God. 
St. Ulric, B. and C, 1 973; St. Bertha, W. and Ab., t 723. 

If you wish to arrive in paradise you must take the 
road thither; for by following the road to hell it is there 
you wilt arrive. 

St. Peter of Luxembourg, f 1387; St. Michael di Sanctis, C, 
Tertiary, 1 1625; Bl. Archangel of Calatafime, C, Francis- 
can, t 1460. 

O heavens ! what happiness ! Close to our very house 
dwells Love Itself in the Blessed Sacrament. 
St. Matilda or Mechtilda, V., t 1160; St. Sexburgh, Abbess, 
t 7th century. 

A soul that truly loves God can only wish what God 
wishes. 

St. Willibald, B and C, t 79 o; St. Edelburga, V., t688: St 
Bet. -edict XI., P., 1 1304; Bl. Peter Fourrier, C, 1 1640. 
O Eternity ! O Eternity ! O Eternitv ! 
St. Elizabeth of Portugal, Q., ti336; St. Withburge, V., 
t 743; Peter the Hermit, 1 11 15. 

Entire abandonment of self into the hands of God is a 
dart which pierces His heart. 
St. Ephrem, Doctor of the Church, 1378; Holy Martyrs of 
Gorcum, 1*1572; St. Veronica Giuliani, V., Franciscan, 
fi727- 

It is impossible that whoever relies on his own judg- 
ment should not be deceived by the wiles of the 
devil. 

The Seven Brothers and St. Felicitas, their Mother, MM., 
t 150; 5\S". Rufina and Secunda, VV. and MM., t 257; St. 
Amelia, W., 1690 

By obeying men out of love for God we merit more than 
in obeying God Himself. 
St. Pius I., P. and M ., 1 157; St. James, B. and C, t35o. 

All vices arise from self-will. 
St. John Gualbert, Ab., 1 1073. 

When the hour of death comes we say: Why did I not 
work for my sanctification ? But of what use then are 
lamentations ? 

Anacletus, P. and M., t 96; St. Eugenius, B., t 505. 

One act of self-abnegation is worth more than erecting 
a thousand hospitals. 
St. Bonaventure, Cardinal, B.. Franciscan, Doctor of the 
Church, t 1274; St. Liberttis, M., 1835. 

A determined will, with the help of God, triumphs over 
all difficulties. 

St. Henry II., Emperor, C, 1 1024; St. Sivithin. B. and C, 
t 862; Bl. Angelina de Marsciano, W., Fra?iciscan, t 1435; 
St. Evrard, Shepherd, t 750. 

He who acts from obedience has the certainty of doing 
what is most agreeable to God. 



3; 



A'16 Oir Lady of Mount Car.mel (1251), p. 524. St. Helier, Her- 
mit. J/., foth century. 

Mary never allows herself to be outdone in love by her 
children. 

b 17 Feast of the Humility of Mary, p. 536. St. Alexius, C, 



T404: St. Marcellina, V. 



08. 



S 



The smallest duties of our state in life must be preferred 
to the most glorious actions, 
c iS St. Camillus de Lellis. C. t 1614; St. Arhoul. B.. +461; St. 
! Frederic. B. and M. ,+838. 

If the dead could come to life again, what would they 
not do for eternal Life ? And I — what am I doing ? 
xg St. Vincent of Paul. C, 1 1660: St. Arsenius, A nchoret, t 450: 
St. John de Dukla, C. Franciscan, t 1484. 

God's will is never better done than when we obey. 

20 St. Jeroin sEmiliani, C. t 1537: St. L'lmar. Ab.. +710. 

He who does everything with a pure intention, will go 
to paradise without passing through purgatory. 

21 St. Praxedes, V., 1 164; St. Victor, M., T290; St. Julia, V. 

and J/., t 273. 

It you are not prepared for death to-day, fear that you 
will not make a good death. 

22 .9/. Mary Magdalene, Penitent, t 63. 
Hell is full of souls who have said: Later on, later on 

Death has arrived, and they have been lost. 

23 St. Apollinaris, B. and M., +'70; St. Libarius. B. and M. 
t 425; 56". Romula and Herondina. VI'.. t 590. 

Not abiding by the confessor's decision is pride and 
want of faith. 

b 24 St. Christina. J', and M, +300: St. Francis Solano, C, Fran 
j ciscan. + i6to; B'. Louisa of Savoy, IV., Franciscan. +1503 
' (Xovena to St. Alphonsus. p. 576.) 

To please Gcd and die ! Oh. how lovely it is to please 
God ! 

c 25 St. James. Ap.. +44; St. Christopher, Jf., T254, p. 576. (Devo- 
tion to the Infant Jesus, P.3S6.) 

We are wrong in thinking that union with God consists 
in ecstasies; it consists only in making our will submissive 
to God's. 

26 St. Anne. Mother of the Blessed Virgin, p. 576. 

There is more merit in lifting a straw from the ground 
by obedience than in taking a discipline even to blood by 
self-will. 

2 j St. Pantaleon. M., tso^: The Sez-en Sleepers, MM., t25o. 
P- 576. 

We can never be surer of pleasing God than when we are 
embracing with resignation some cross which He sends. 
f ;28 SS". Xazarius and Celsus. MM., t 56. and Victor, M., +197: 
I j St. Innocent I.. P. and C. + 417. p. 576. 

O funereal taper, torch of death, how many truths thou 
' dost reveal ! 



3« 3tU£. 

29 



30 



St. Martha, V., t 84; .SV. William, B. and C, t 1234, p. 576. 
If God could die, mortal sin would kill Him, for it 
grieves God so exceedingly. 
SS. Addon and Sennen, MM., t 254, p. 576. 

Never did a truly obedient man perish everlastingly. 
St. Ignatius of Loyola, C, t 1556; St. Germanus, B. and C, 
t45o; St. Helen of Sweden, M., t 1160; St. John Colombini, 
C, t 1367. 

Let us rest assured that we can procure no greater glory 
to God than by doing His will. 



Bugust 



Protector : ST. BARTHOLOMEW, Ap. 

Virtue : GENTLENESS AND HUMILITY OF HEART, 
P- 369. 

Text: Learn of Me, because I am meek and humble of heart. 
(Matt. xi. 29.) 



St. Peter's Chains (439). The Seven Machabees, Brothers, 
with their Mother \ MM., 1 164, B.C., p. 576. 

An act of humility is worth more than all the riches in 
the world. 

St. Alphonsus Liguori, B.. Doctor of the Church, T1787; St. 
Etheldretha, V., t834; Our Lady of Angels (Indulgence of 
the Portiuncula), 1222. p. 576. 

Perfection consists in doing only what God wills, and in 
desiring nothing but what God desires. 
Invention of St. Stephen's Relics in 415. 

It is when the devil tells us that we are in no danger of 
falling that we have the most to fear. 
St. Dominic, C, 1 1221. 

When we set too great a value on the world's esteem, 
we can hardly receive any great affront without losing the 
grace of God. 

St. Mary ad Nives (366). SS. Afra and her Companions, 
MM.. \ 304. p. 534. 

Let us attach ourselves now to Jesus and Mary, so that 
at our death they may not abandon us. 
Transfiguration of Our Lord in 32. St. Sixtus II., P. and 
M., t 259. (Novena of the Assumption, p. 539.) 

If it is so sweet to weep for love of Thee, my God, what 
will it be to enjoy Thee ? 
St. Cajetan, C, t 1547; St. Donatus, B. and M., t 660; St. 
Albert of Messina, C, t 1307, p. 539. 

Gentleness is the best means to employ to gain obe- 
dience. 



39 



13 



1 14 



16 



! *7 



' i3 



19 



8 £5. Cyriacus, Largus Smaragdus, MM., t 303; St. Leobald, 

C, 1 650. 

A holy bishop was accustomed to gaze on a death's- 
head on which he had written: "I once was what you 
are; you will be what I now am," p. 539. 

9 St. Romanus, M., t 258; St. Mauritius, B., f 1067; Bl. John 

0/ Salerno. C, Dominican, t 1242, p. 539. 

In the time of humiliation men prove whether they are 
of gold or of lead. 
St. Lawrence, M. y T259; St. Philomena, V. and M., 1 3d 
I century. 

He who is damned has the certainty that all the suffer- 
ing he is enduring will endure to all Eternity. 
St. Tiburcius, M., t286; St. Susanna, V. and M., *■ 295; St. 
Alexander, B. and M., 1250; St. Gery, B., i 6ig> p. 530. 

Humility is the joy we feel at whatever serves to make 
us despise ourselves. 
St. Clare, V. and Ab.. 1 1252, p. 539. 

What a cruel suffering it will be in hell when we reflect 
for how little we have lost our souls and how little we 
need have done to have saved them. 
Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners. kS"*S\ Hippolytus and Cas- 
sian, MM., t35o; St. Radegundes, Q., t 587; St. John 
Berchmans, C. Jesuit, ti62i,p. 539. 

So long as we cherish the idea of being esteemed by the 
world, the world is living in our hearts. 
St. Eusebius, C, t3oo; St. Atkanasia, W.. t 860; Bl. Sanches 
d^Urbino, C, Franciscan, 1 1390; Bl. Alain de la Roche, 
C, Dominican, 1 1474; The 800 Martyrs of Otranto, t 1480, 
P- 539- 

The proud man, when corrected, is grieved because his 
fault has been discovered. 
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 5"/. Napoleon, 
M., t 4th century; St. Alipius, B. and C, 1431; St. Arnul- 
phus, B. and C, 1 1085, p. 539. 

What a happiness for us if, at our death, we find ourselves 
united to the Mother of God by the sweet chains of love. 
St. Hyacinth. C, 1 1257; St. Roch, C, 1 1327. 

At the day of judgment the time for repairing our faults 
will be passed : what is done, is done. 
St. Myron, Priest and M., t254; St. Mamas, M., t 275. 

Of what good is a pious soul if she cannot bear an 
affront for the sake of Jesus Christ, for the sake of Him 
Who suffered so much for her? 
St. Agapetus, M., ^274; St. Helena, W., 1325; St. Clare of 
Montefalco, V., Augustinian, 1 1308. 

What sweetness we show when we answer nothing on 
being found fault with wrongly ! 
St. Lewis, B. and C, t 1297; St. Elaphius, B., 1587. 

A soul that is attached to some passion is nearly lost, if 
it is not entirely lost. 



4° Bugust 

A 



b : 



A 27 

b 28 
c'29 

d 30 



St. Bernard, Ab., Doctor of the Church, 1 1153; St. Oswin. 
K. and M., T651. 

All that time is lost which is not employed for God. 
St. Jane Frances de Chantal, W., Abbess, t 164.T; St. Privatus, 
B., 1 262; St. Bernard Ptolemy, C, 1 1348. 

May Jesus live ! I love Jesus ! May Jesus live, Whom 
I love ! I love Jesus, Who liveth and reigneth to all 
eternity ! 

St. Timothy, M., t3ii; St. Symphorian, M., ti8o. 

He who is truly humble, wishes to be despised by others. 
St. Philip Beniti, C, Servile, 1 1285; St. Apollinaris Sidonius, 
B. and C, 1 409; St. Eugenius, B. t t 618. 

Being" angry with one's self after a fault is not humility, 
but a refinement of pride. 
St. Bartholomew, Ap., f 71; St. Ouen, C, 1683. 

Whoever has not a great dread of mortal sin, is not far 
from falling into it. 
St. Louis, K. and C, ti27o; St. Thomas a Kempis, Augus- 
tinian Monk, T1471; St. Patricia, i 365; St. Ebba, 1 483. 
(Devotion to the Infant Jesus, p. 387.) 

Of what avail being esteemed by men when God finds 
us worthy of scorn ? 
St. Zephyrinus, P. and M., t2i9; St. Roc Amadour, Hermit, 
+ 1st century. 

A soul gains more by once refraining" from excusing 
itself than by listening to ten sermons. 
St. Joseph Calasanctius, C, t 1648; St. Hugh of Lincoln, 
Infant M., 1 1255; ^« Eulalia, V. and M., 1 256. 
A day passed without mortification is a day lost. 
vSV. Augustine, B. and Doctor of the Church, t43o; St. 
Hermes, M., 1 132. 

Love is a blessed dart which strikes the heart with love. 
Decollation of St. John the Baptist, 31. St. Sabina, 
M., 1 119; St. Seraphia, V. and M., 1 126. 

Let it be the ambition of those who love God to surpass 
others in humility. 
St. Rose of Lima, V.^ Dominican, ti6i7; St. Thecla and her 
12 children, MM., 1*250; St. Fiaker, Anchoret, C, t 370. 
(Novena of the Nativity, p. 540.) 

However much we may do, it is little enough if it will 
enable us to avoid hell. 
St. Raymond Nonnatus, C, t 1240; St. Cuthburge, Q. and V., 
Abbess, + 8th century; St. Aidan, B. and C, t 631, p. 540. 
When the demon cannot get much, he is contented 
with a little; but with that little he afterwards obtains 
much. 



September. 41 



Protector: ST. MATTHEW, Ap. 

Virtue : MORTIFICATION, p. 370. 

Text: He that hateth kys life in this world, keepeth it u?ito life 1 
eternal. (John xii. 25.) 



St. Giles. Ad., t 720; SS. Twelve Brothers, MM., T258; Bl. 
Jane Soderini, V., Servite, + 1367. p. 540. 

Woe to him who delays penance till the hour of his 
death ! 

St. Stephen, K. and C, t 1038; St. Justus, B. and C, 1390; 
Bl. Margaret of Louvain, V. and M., 1 1225. p. 540. 

God does not bestow His friendship on those who take 
their ease. 

The Mother of the Good Shepherd. St. Remaclus, B. 
and C, t 664; Bl. Andrew Dotti, Monk, Servite, t 1315. 
Every one would wish to be saved, but without incon- 
venience. But to be saved we must do violence to our- 
selves. 

4 l St. Rose of Viterbo, V., Franciscan, t 1252. p. 540. 

How sad it is to see Christians making a god of their 
belly! 

5 St. Lawrence Justinian, B. and C, T1455; St. Berlin, C, 
T709; Bl. Gentili di Matelica, M.. Franciscan, ^ 1340, p. 540. 
However much God costs us, He never costs us too much. 
6St.Pambo of Nitria, Ab.,f 385; St. Bega, V., t 7th century, 
p. 540. 

The elect are the living stones of heaven, but these 
stones must be shaped on earth by the chisel of mortifica- 
tion. 

j St. Stephen of Chdtillon, B., t 1208; St. Cloud, C, +560; St. 
Regina, V. a7id M.. 286; St. John of Lodi. B., t 1106, p. 540. 
God pursueth sinners like a forsaken lover. 
8 Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. 6"/. Adrian, 31., +306; 
St. Nestor, M., t 362, p. 540. 

Happy he who invokes the beautiful name of Mary in 
his fights with hell. 
St. Gorgonius, M., T304; St. Omer, B. and C.. +670; St. 
Osmanna of Irela?id, V., t 7th century; St. Peter Ciaver, 
C, Jesuit, 1 1654. 

At the hour of death what a consolation shall we find 
in the penances and all else we have done for God. 
io' St. Nicholas of Talentino. C, Atigustinian, + 1310; Bl. 
Charles Spinola, Jesuit, and his 204 companions, Japanese 
Martyrs, t 1622. 

We do not wish to receive holy Communion more fre- 
quently, that we may not have to lead better lives. 
St. Theodora, Penitent, 1480; St. Paphnutius, B. and C, 
t 4th century. 

O wasted time ! Thou wilt be most ardently desired by 
worldlings at the hour of death ! 



42 September. 



T 3 

f IS 
g 16 



f 

A 24 
b 25 



5V. Guy, C, 1 1012; .SV. Emilian, B., 1 4M century; ^t. Tkeo- 
dulus, M., t 362. 

It is the nature of the brutes to seek the satisfaction of 
their senses. 

St. Amatus, B., +690; St. Frederic, Priest, C, ^uncertain. 

The soul is always infirm when the body is not mortified. 
Exaltation of the Holy Cross (627). St. Catherine of 
Genoa, IV., f 1510. p. 449. 

What the saints have always desired is not sensible fer- 
vor in times of rejoicing, but spiritual fervor in times of 
suffering. 

St. Nicnmedes, M., t9o; St. A chard, Ab. and C, T687. 

Reflect on these two words: Always and Never / 
St. Cornelius, P. and M., t 252; St. Cyprian, B. and M., 
1258; St. Euphemia, V. and M.,f 303; St. Editha, K..T984. 
What great saints would men become if they endured 
for God what they endure to lose their souls ! 
Stigmata of St. Francis (1224). St. Lambert, B. and M., 
t7o8; St. Hildegardis, V., T1179; St. Columba, V. and M., 
t8 53 . 

The greatest proof we can give God of our love for 
Him is depriving ourselves, for His sake, of temporal 
pleasures and offering Him our troubles and sufferings. 
St. Joseph of Cupertino. C, ti668; St. Sophia, M., T304; St. 
Thomas of Villenova, B. and C, ti555. 

One drop of heavenly consolation procures us more 
satisfaction than all worldly amusements can do. 
Apparition of Our Lady of Salette (1846). St. Januarius, 
B. and M., f 305; St. Lucy of Scotland, V., 1 1090. 

Prayer without mortification is an illusion, or else passes 
away. 

St. Eustachius, M., tn8; St. Agapetus, P. and C, T536. 

My son, you will amass a great fortune — and then ? and 
then ?— you will die. 
St. Matthew, Ap., t 44. St. Maura, V., t 850; St. Castor, B., 
+ 4 2 °- 

Accepting death with entire resignation is of greater 
value than any penance. 
St. Maurice, M., t 286; St. Emmeran, B. and M., 1652; St. 
Phocas the Gardener, M., t 303. 

Every action done for God is an act of divine love. 
St. Linus. P. and M.A 67; St. Thecla, V. and M., 1 1st century; 
St. Liber ius, P., t 366. 

If hell were not eternal, it would not be hell. 
Our Lady of Mercy, p. 521. 

Eternity itself would not be sufficient to expiate one 
mortal sin. 

St. Firm in, B. and M., t 303; St. Pacifico of San Severino, C, 
Franciscan, 1 1721. (Devotion to the Infant Jesus, p. 389.) 
Woe to us if we had not the sacrifice of the Mass to 
appease our Saviour's wrath ! 



September. 43 



c!26 



f 29 
g 



SS. Cyprian and Justina. MM., t304; St. Nilus the younger, 
Ab., t 1005; St. Eugenia, V., 1735. 

If the soul does not govern the body, the body will soon 
trample the soul under foot. 
SS. Cosmos and Damian, MM., t 286; .S\S. Elzear and Del- 
phina, CC, t 1325. 

We die but once; the soul once lost is lost forever. 
St. Wenceslas, Duke, M., t 936; Bl. Simon de Roxas, C, 1 1624; 
St. Zozimus, M ., t303. 

Let us look on ihe penance done by the saints, and blush 
for how little we do to mortify our flesh. 
St. Michael, Archangel. St. Theodota, Penitent, M., 1642. 
How can it be possible for any one who believes in 
eternity not to give himself entirely to God ? 
St. Jerome, C, Doctor of the Church; St. Paula, W., 1 404; 
St. Honorius, B. and C., t 653. 

Past time is not yours; the future is not under your 
control; you have only the present in which to work. 



©ctober. 



Protector: St. SIMON, Ap. 

Virtue : RECOLLECTION, p. 371. 

Text: And having dismissed the multitude, Jesus went up into 
a mountain alone to pray. (Matt. xiv. 23.) 



St. Remigius, B. and C, t533; St. Bavo, Anchoret, t 654. 

God is not to be found amid the tumult of the world. 
Holy Guardian Angels, p. 560. St. Leodegarius, B. and 
M., t678; St. Thomas Cantelupe, B. and C, t 1282. 

He who does not strive to save his soul must be mad. 
St. Gerard, Ad., 1959; St. Romana, V. and M., \zd century; 
Bl. John Massias, C. Dominican, 1 1645. 

I will lead a soul into solitude, and there will I speak 
unto her, saith the Lord. 
St. Francis of Assisium, C, 1 1226; St. Edwin, K. and M., 
t6 33 - 

My God and my All ! My God and my All ! 
St. Placidus, Ab. and M., T541; St. Galla, W., t 550; St. 
Flora, V., f 1343. 

A spiritually-minded person is rarely a great talker. 
St. Bruno, C, f 1101; St. Mary Frances of the Five Wounds, 
V., Franciscan, f 1791. 

Amidst the tumult of worldly affairs God keeps silence; 
because, if He spoke, He would not be heard. 
St. Justina, V. and M., 1 1st century; St. Mark, P. and C, 
t 336; St. Sergius, M., t 300; St. Augustus, Ab., 1 560. 

We must always be in readiness to die if we wish to 
make a good death. 



44 

A g 
b q 



©ctober* 



.9/. Bridget, W., 1373; St. Pelagia, Penitent, 1460. 

Silence and calm in a manner force the soul to think of 
God and of eternal things. 
St. Denis, B. and M., t 117; St. Guislain, Ab., +680; St. Lewis 
Bertrand, C, tis8i. 

At any moment you can increase your eternal happiness, 
and yet you lose time. 
St. Francis Borgia, C, Jesuit, 1 1572. 

At Death all is ended. This thought determined St. 
Francis Borgia to give himself entirely to God. 
St. Eusebia, V. and M., i 2d century', St. Etheburge, V. 
and Abbess, f end of jth century; St. Kenny, Ab., t598. 
Of what avail to dwell in solitude if the heart is filled 
with worldly affections ? 
St. Wilfrid, B. and C, t7o<5; St. Edwin, K. and M., t633; 
St. Seraph ino, C, Franciscan, 1 1604. 

The greater number of our sins come from our having 
spoken or having listened. 
St. Edward, K. and C, tio66; St. Colman of Ireland, M., 
+ 1012; St. Gerald, C, t 909. 

In order to find God, it is sufficient to be recollected; 
we shall then find Him within our own hearts. 
St. Calixtus, P. and M., t222; St. Dominic Loricatus, C, 
t 1060. 

When death arrives we would give all we have for only 
one of those innumerable hours which we are now losing. 
St. Teresa, V., Carmelite, 1 1582. p. 578. 

Detach your heart from all creatures, and seek God — 
you will certainly find Him. 
St. Baldwin, M., t 680; St. Gall, Ab., t 646. 

When we speak but little of Jesus Christ it is a proof 
that we only love Him a little. 
St. Hedwiges, IV., 11243; St. Salina, 1 80; Bl. Margaret 
Mary, V., 1 1690. 

What a glorious exchange ! To give our heart to God 
and to receive His ! 
St. Luke, Evangelist, 1 74. St. Monon, M., 1 645; St. Justin, 
M., t 287. 

Either keep silence or say things worth more than 
silence. 

St. Peter of Alcantara, C., Franciscan, 1 1562; St. Frideswide, 
V., t 760. 

O happy penance, which has brought me such great 
reward and glory ! 
St. John de Kenty, C, 1473; St. Aidan, B., T768; St. Trena, 
K. and M., t 653. 

The more we hide ourselves from the world, the more 
will Jesus Christ reveal Himself to us. 
St. Hilarion, Ab., 1 372; St. Ursula and her companions, VV. 
and MM., t 383; St. Celina, V., t 53°- 

Solitude is a constant source of joy to souls who seek it. 



©ctober. 



45 



A 22 ' Bl. Ladislas, C, t 1507; St. Donatus, B. and C, t 874. 

The devil hunts down Christians who have nothing to 
do. 

St. John Capristan, C, Franciscan, f 1450. 

Woe to him who approaches death without having- em- 
ployed a considerable part of his life in lamenting his 
sins. 

c 24 St. Raphael, Archangel. St. Magloire. B. and C, ts86. 

He who speaks much with men speaks little with God; 
and God, on His side, hardly speaks to him at all. 
d 25 SS. Crysanthus and Daria. MM., \ 284; St. Crispin, M.,\ 276. 
1 (Devotion to the Infant Jesus, p, 390.] 

Death hastens on; we, too, should hasten to do good 
and put our affairs in order, 
e 26 St. Evaristus, P. and M., tio8; Bl. Bonaventura di Po- 
tenza, C, Franciscan, f 1711. 

Souls that love God find their paradise in a retired life, 
f 27 St. Vincent, M., 1304: St. Sabina, M., t 304; St. li es of Brit 
tany. C, Franciscan, 1 131 3. 

We must do violence to our nature if we wish to save 
our soul; hea_ven is not for the cowardly, 
g 28 SS. Simon and Jude, Ap., 1 1st century. 

A busy man will have but one temptation to combat 
whilst the idle man has a thousand. 
29 St. Narcissus, B., T200; St. Maximilian, B. and M., +304; 
St. Frmelinda, V., t 595. 

A heart consecrated to divine love is greater than the 
whole world. 

b 30 St. Germanus, B. and C, t 540; Bl. Angela d\4cri, C, T1739. 

He who works for worldly ends weaves spiders' webs", 
c 31 St. Quintin, M., 1303; Si. Alpkonsus Rodriguez, C, Jesuit. 
1 1617. 

The richest royal palaces are but as stables in com- 
prrison with paradise. 



Protector : St. THADDEUS, Ap. 
Virtue : PRAYER, p. 372. 

Text : We ought always to pray, and not to faint. (Luke xviii. 1.) 

dj 1 All Saints (837). St. Benignus, Priest, M., T178. (Novena 
of the Holy Souls, p. 582.) 

The science of the saints is not acquired by study, but 
by prayer, 
e 2 All Souls, p. 582. 

The graveyard is the best school for learning to appre- 
ciate the vanities of the world at their true value. 



46 IRopember, 

St. Hubert, B. and C, +727; St. Malachy, B. and C, tii48; 
St. Winifride, V. avd M., i nth century, p. 582. 

God bestows great favor on a soul when He vouchsafes 
it the gift of prayer. 
St. Charles Borromeo, B. and C, 11584; St. Vitalis, M., 
t 304. p. 582. 

The more we speak with men the more we find out their 
faults' the more we converse with God the more we find 
how worthy He is of our love. 
St. Bertilla, V. and Abbess, 1692; Bl. Raynier of B or go, C, 
Franciscan, t 1589, p. 5S2. 

How miserable I am because I am not yet safe from 
hell ! 

6 5"/. Leonard, C, t 575; St. Winoc, Ab., t 717, p. 582. 
Nothing can suffice him to whom God is not sufficient. 

7 St. Willibrod, C, t738; St. Engelbertus, B. and C, 1*1226; 
St. Florentius, Ab., B., t 693, p. 582. 

Whoever neglects prayer, says St. Teresa, gives him- 
self over to hell. 
St. Claud, M., t 303; St. Maur, B. and C, -zd century, p. 582 

The thought of hell preserves from hell. 
Dedication of the Basilica of Our Saviour (324). St. Theo- 
dorus, M., T304; St. Mathurin, Priest and C, t 388, p. 582. 
If we have but little time, it is because we waste so 
much. 

St. Andreru Avellino, C, 1 1608. 

If God were always to pardon and never to punish, He 
would be. wanting in justice, 
g 11 St. Martin, B. and C.. t400. 

Divine light cannot shine in a heart filled with worldly 
affections. 

A 12 St. Martin. P. and M., t 655; St. Livin, B. and M., f 657; 
St. Josaphat, B. and M., 1 1623. (Novena of the Presenta 
tion. p. 540.) 

Meditation regulates our affections, directs our actions, 
and corrects our faults. 
5"/. Didacus, C, +1463; St. Stanislas Kotska, C, Jesuit, 
1 1568; St. Killian, H. and C, +670, p. 540 

Prayer is a source of riches; the more we pray, the 
more we receive. 
St. Laurence of Dublin, B. and C, tn8o; Bl. Gabriel Fer- 
retti. C, Franciscan, 1 1456. p. 540 

How beautiful a prayer it is to gaze from time to time 
on the crucifix. 

15 St. Gertrude, V. and Abbess, 1*1334; St. Leopold, C, 1*1136; 
Bl. Albert the Great, C, Dominican, t 1280, p 540. 

Prayer and sin cannot long dwell together. 

16 St. Edmund, B. avd C, 1 1240; St. Agnes of Assisium, V., 
Franciscan, 1*253; St. Paul of the Cross, C, 1 1775, p. 540. 

To obtain from God the grace of in all things following 
His holy will should be the object of all our prayers. 



A 
b : 



e 23 
f 24 



> 27 



St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, B. and C, t27o; 6Y. Gregory of 
Tours, B. and C, t 595, p. 540. 

Saints converted more souls by their prayers than by 
their works. 

Dedication of the Basilicas of SS. Peter and Paul (1626). 
St. Odo, A6.,i 942, p. 540. 

When we will not give up sinning, God knows well how 
. to bring us to reason. 
St. Elizabeth^ Q., IV., Franciscan, + 1231, p. 540. 

It is by aridities and temptations that God tries those 
whom He loves. 
St. Felix of Valois, C, t 1212; St. Edmund, K. and M., 
t 870. p. 540. 

The love of God does not consist in experiencing tender 
affections, but in serving Him humbly and courageously. 
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Gelasius, 
P. and C, t 496, p. 540. 

It is Mary's office to reconcile sinners with God. 
St. Cecilia, V. and M., 1230. 

A fervent act of love made in the morning suffices to 
maintain fervor in the soul all the day. 
St. Clement, P. and M., t 100. 

Prayer makes us sharers of divine power. 
St. John 0/ the Cross, t 1591; St. Marinus. M., t 731. 

Happy he who, in time of desolation, remains faithful 
to prayer; God will bestow His graces on that soul. 
St. Catherine, V. and M., i 307. (Devotion to the Infant 
Jesus, p. 391. j 

It is morally impossible that he who has been faithful to 
God during his life should make a bad death. 
St. Peter of Alexandria, P. and M., T310; St. Delphina, V.., 
Franciscan, t 1360; St. Leonard of Port Maurice, C, Fran- 
ciscan. 1 1751. 

If your conscience be loaded with sins, it is because you 
have neglected to pray in time of temptation. 
St. Maximus, B., T460; Bl. Margaret of Savoy , IV., Domini- 
can, t 1464. 

Our Lord punishes perverse desires, but He rewards all 
our good desires. 
St. James of La Marca, C, Franciscan, 1 1476. 

What an excellent prayer it is when we unceasingly ask 
of Jesus the love of Jesus. 
St. Saturninus, B. and M., 1 305 ; St. Illuminata, V., t 4th 
century. (Novena of the Immaculate Conception, p. 534.) 
He who desires but God alone, is always contented, 
whatever may happen. 
St. Andrew, A/>., f 62, p. 534. 

We are poor because we will not ask graces from God. 
Omen, Pray! Pray! Pray! 



4 8 



December* 



Protector: ST. MATTHIAS, Ap. 

Virtue : PATIENCE, p. 373. 

Text : If any man will come after Me, let him take up his 
cross, and follow Me. (Matt. xvi. 24.) 



St. Eligius, B. and C, t 659; St. Florentia, V., t 3 6 7 ; St. Na- 
thalia, t 304, p. 534. 

To love while suffering, and to suffer while loving - , ah ! 
what beautiful suffering and love ! 
St. Bibiana, V. and M., t 363, p. 534. 

Our whole perfection consists in suffering with resigna- 
tion all those contradictions, both small and great, which 
meet us daily. 

St. Francis Xavier, Apostle of the Indies, C, Jesuit, 1*1552; 
St. Lucy the Chaste, V., 1 1420, p. 534. 

Of what avail for a man to gain the universe, if he lose 
his soul ? 

St. Peter Chrysologus, B , Doctor of the Church, T450; St. 
Barbara, V. a?id M., 1235; St. Osmond, B. and C, 11099, 
P- 534- 

Welcome all that God wills! Be it disgrace, abandon- 
ment, crosses, darkness, or desolation. 
St. Sabas, Ab., t 531 ; St. Crispina, M., t 304; Bl. Elizabeth 
of Waldsech, V., Franciscan, t 1420. p. 534. 

If we joyously bear the cross, the cross will bear us to 
heaven. 

d > 6 St. Nicholas, B. and C, t 324. p. 534. 

Whatever God does is what is best for us. 
e 7 St. Ambrose, B. and C, Doctor of the Church, t 397, p. 534. 

What is the cause of a bad death ? Sin alone. It is sin, 
then, and not death, that we must fear, 
f 8 The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, p. 534. 

Mary is that immaculate woman who appeared all- 
beautiful and stainless in the eyes of God. 
g 9 St. Leocadia, V. and M., 1 303; St. Wilfrida, V., Abbess, +990. 

I look for so great a reward, that every pain becomes 
pleasant to me. 
A 10 Translation of the Holy House to Loretto (1294). 

St. Melchiades, P. and C, t 314; St. Eulalia, V. and M., 
t 303- 

Our Lord lavishes His favors on those who bear their 
cross lovingly. 

b 11 St. Damasus, P. and C, 1 384: St. Daniel the Stylite, C, T489. 

Woe to the sinner who has prospered on earth ! 
c 12 St. Finan, B. and C, t 552; St. Columba, Ab., f 548; St. 
Adelaide, W., Empress., t 999. 

Hearts that are on fire with the love of God take delight 
in suffering, for they know that they are suffering out of 
love of God. 



December, 



49 



13 St. Lucy^ V. and M., 1 303; St. Aubert. B. and C, 1 669; 
vSV. Othilia, V., Abbess, t 700; .5/. y<?/&« Marinoni, C., 
ti 5 62. 

All the sufferings of this world will appear slight when 
we cast our eyes on the hell we have deserved. 
e!i4 St. Nicasius, B. and M., t45o; St. Fortunatus, B , t 600. 

In order to bear our cross meritoriously, we must em- 
brace it heartily. 

15 St. Maximinus, Ab., 1520; St. Christiana, V., Slave, t -$d 
century. 

How terrible a sermon is preached to us by the words 
Always ! Always ! 

16 St. Evrard. C, t86g; 5"/. Ado, B. and C, ^875; Bl. Mary of 
the Angels, V. and C, t 1717. Nov. of Christmas, p. 416. 

All our sufferings here below bear no proportion to the 
glory reserved for us by God in heaven, 
176"/. Olympia. W., +410; St. Lazarus of Bethany, B., + ist 
centuiy', St. Begga, iV., Abbess, t 693. 

How edifying it is when we bear sickness uncomplain- 
ingly and resignedly. 
Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, p. 423. 

For souls in desolation there is no better remedy than 
frequent Communion. 
19 St. Prothasia, V. and M., 1282; Bl. Conrad of Ojfeda. C, 
Franciscan, 1 1306. 

Every soul that wishes to love God is loved bv 
Him. 

Bl. Peter Canisius, C, Jesuit, + 1597; Bl. Julia delta Eena, 
V., 1 1367- 

At death all that remains to us is whatever little we may 
have done and suffered for God. 
St. Thomas. Ap., t44. 

It is by patience under suffering that we weave the 
greatest part of the crown God destines for us. 
Bl. Mary Mancini, IV. , ti43i. 

God only retains us in this world that we may suppr-rt 
the crosses which He sends us; it is in so doing that the 
merit of our lives consists. 
St. Victoria, V. and M., t 420; St. Yves, B. and C, t 1116. 

That which is finite is worth little; it is only that which 
is eternal which is truly great. 
AI24 St. Irntina and her Sister, St. Adela, +740. 

No disquieting thought can come from God, Who is the 
Prince of Peace. 

> 25 The. Nativity of Christ, p. 4 2 4- St. Anastasia, V. and 
M., t 303. 

Let us love the Infant of Bethlehem ! Let us love the 
Infant of Bethlehem ! 
iV. Stephen, First Martyr, t 35. p. 425- 

Here I can still repair my faults; after my death there 
will be no remedy. 



2 7 
28 

2 9 

3° 



^December, 



St. John, Ap. and Evangelist, tioi, p. 4 2 7- 

When we die entirely resigned to God's holy will, we 
die a holy death. 
The Holy Innocents, p. 428. 

One God be blessed " in a time of adversity is worth 
more than a thousand thanksgivings in a time of pros- 
perity. 

St. Thomas of Canterbury, B. and M., t 1170. p. 429. 

If you desire to bear only the crosses you have merited, 
perfection is not for you. 
St. Sabinus, B. and M., T303; Bl. Raoul of England, C, 
T1152; BL Margaret Colonna, V., Franciscan, T1284; Bl. 
Sebastian Valfre, C, 1 17 10. p. 430. 

The moment of death is not a propitious time for set- 
tling our accounts with God. 
St. Sylvester, P. and C, T335; St. Melania, W., 1439 p. 431. 
The months pass, the years elapse, we are at the very- 
gate of eternity, and yet are not thinking of it. 



The Lord's Prayer, etc. 



2Tfje SLortr's tyvavcv. 

UR Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be 
Thy name; Thy kingdom come ; Thy will 
be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give 
us this day our daily bread ; and forgive us our 
trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against 
us : and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us 
from evil. Amen. 

Ef)t ^nseltcal Salutation* 

| AIL Mary, full of grace! the Lord is with 
thee : blessed art thou amongst women, 
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, 
Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sin- 
ners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen. 

Ef)t Apostles' €reetr. 

believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator 
of heaven and earth ; and in Jesus Christ, His 
only Son, Our Lord ; who was conceived by 
the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary suffered 
under Pontius Pilate, was crucified ; died, and was 
buried. He descended into hell : the third day He 
arose again from the dead : He ascended into heaven, 
sitteth at the right hand of God,' the Father Al- 
mighty ; from thence He shall come to judge the 
living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, 
the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, 
the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, 
and the life everlasting. Amen. 

IICONFESS to Almighty God, to blessed Mary, 
ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Arch- 
angel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy 
apostles Peter and Paul, and to all the saints, that 
I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and 



52 Salve Regina—Regina Cceti. 



deed, through my fault, through my fault, through 
my most grievous fault. Therefore, I beseech blessed 
Mary, ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, 
blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter 
and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to the Lord our 
God for me. 

May the Almighty God have mercy upon me, for- 
give me my sins, and bring me to everlasting life. 
Amen. 

May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant me 
pardon, absolution, and remission of all my sins. 
Amen. 

— ]|ail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, 
our sweetness, and our hope ; to thee do 
we cry, poor banished sons of Eve, to thee 
do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in 
this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advo- 
cate, thine eyes of mercy toward us ; and after this, 
our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy 
womb, Jesus, O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin 
Mary. 

Said for the Angelus in Paschal time. 

egina Cceli, lsetare. 
Alleluia. 
Quia quern meru- 
isti portare. Alleluia. 



Resurrexit sicut dixit. 
Alleluia. 

Ora pro nobis Deum. 
Alleluia. 

V, Gaude et laetare, 
Virgo Maria. Alleluia. 

R. Quia surrexit Dom- 
inus vere. Alleluia. 



ueen of Heaven, re- 
joice. Alleluia. 
For He whom 
thou wast made worthy to 
bear. Alleluia. 

Hath risen as He said. 
Alleluia. 

Pray for us to our God. 
Alleluia. 

V. Rejoice and be glad, 
O Virgin Mary. Alleluia. 

R. For the Lord hath 
risen indeed. Alleluia. 



The Mentor are — Grace Before and After Meat. 53 



Or emus. 

Deus, qui per resurrec- 
tionem Filii tui Domini 
nostri Jesu Christi mun- 
cium laetificare dignatus 
es : prsesta, quaesumus, 
ut per ejus Genitricem 
Virginem Mariam per- 
petuae capiamus gaudia 
vitae. Per eumdem Chris- 
tum Dominum nostrum. 
Amen. 



Let us Pray. 

God, Who through the 
resurrection of Thy Son, 
Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
hast vouchsafed to make 
glad the whole world, 
grant us, we beseech Thee, 
that through the inter- 
cession of the Virgin 
Mary, His Mother, we 
may attain the joys of 
eternal life. Through the 
same Christ Our Lord. 
Amen. 



Z\)t fftcmorarre. 



EM EMBER, O most gracious Virgin Mary! that 
never was it known that any one who fled 
to thy protection, implored thy help, and 
sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired 
with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of 
virgins, my Mother ! To thee I come ; before thee 
I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the 
Word incarnate ! despise not my petitions, but in 
thv mercv hear and answer me. Amen. 



Grace Before <Hcat. 

less us, O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which 
we are about to receive from Thy bounty, 
through Christ Our Lord. Amen. 



Grace .after ^Hrat, 

E give Thee thanks for all Thy benefits, Al- 
mighty God ; Who livest and reignest for- 
ever; and may the souls of the faithful 
departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. 
Amen. 



54 Offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 



ivine Heart of Jesus, I offer Thee, through the 
Immaculate Heart of Mary, all the prayers, 
the actions, and sufferings of this day, in 
union with all the intentions for which Thou dost 
unceasingly immolate Thyself on the altars; I offer 
them to Thee, particularly for the most abandoned 
souls among sinners, among those in their agony and 
among the faithful departed, specially for those of 
N. and N. I also offer it to obtain Thy special pro- 
tection for our Holy Father the Pope, and our Holy 
Mother the Church. 




FIRST PART. 
DAILY EXERCISES. 



1. ©nIRteino. 



In the morning on awakening-, raise your heart to God by an act 
of love, offer Him all your daily actions, and pray Him to help you 
in all things. 

Do not lose your time whilst dressing, but employ it in reciting 
some prayer or in making such ejaculations as the following: 



Y God, I offer Thee whatever I may do or suf- 
fer this day. — My Jesus, mercy ! — My Lord, 
help me in all things; give me the grace of 
always doing Thy holy will. 

As soon as you are dressed, kneel before your crucifix and make 
the following acts of thanksgiving, love, and offering of all your 
actions and sufferings of the coming day: above all, fervently ask of 
Jesus and Mary the aid necessary to enable you faithfully to serve 
God during that day. 

2. ^Doming praters. 



God, I firmly believe that Thou art here 
present. I adore Thy supreme majesty. I 
love Thy infinite goodness above all things. 
I thank Thee for all Thy benefits, and especially 
for having preserved me this night. 

I offer Thee all my thoughts, words, actions, affec- 
tions, and sufferings of this day, in union with those 
of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, and hereby protest that 
I desire to perform all my actions solely with a view 
to pleasing Thee, and in honor of . . . l 

1 Sunday : The Most Holy Trinity and my holy patrons. Monday: 
The Holy Ghost. Tuesday: The holy angels and St. Anne. Wed- 
nesday: St. Joseph. Thursday: The Blessed Sacrament. Friday: 
The Passion and Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saturday : Our Lady of 
Perpetual Help. 

55 



56 



Daily Exercises. 



I form the intention of gaining all the indulgences 
I can in favor of the souls in purgatory. I resolve 
to conform myself to Thy holy will, particularly in 
those things which are contrary to my inclinations, 
saying always: May the most just, most high, most 
adorable will of God be in all things done, and 
praised, and forever magnified ! 

My God ! for the love of Jesus Christ, preserve me 
this day from all sin, especially (here mention the 
fault into which you fall the oftenest), and grant me 
the grace of practising the virtue of (here mention 
the virtue of which you stand most in need). 

My Jesus, by Thy merits grant me the grace of 
living united to Thee ! Most holy Mary, my 
Mother ! bless me and take me beneath thy mantle ! 
My guardian angel, my holy patrons, intercede, for 
me ! Saints of paradise, pray for me ! 

The Lord's Prayer. The Hail Mary. The Creed. 

* O sweetest Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may 
ever love Thee more and more. 

Three Hail Marys in honor of the purity of the 
B. V. M. 

* For the members of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Perpetual 
Help, it is sufficient to add to these three Hail Marys one Glory be to 
the Father, in honor of St. Alphonsus, with the two following ejacu- 
lations : 

Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help ! pray for me. — 
My protector, St. Alphonsus, grant that in all my 
necessities I may have recourse to Mary. 1 

1 Three hundred days, three times a day, morning, noon, and even- 
ing, for all those who are inscribed in the confraternity of Our Lady 
of Perpetual Help. Plenary Indulgence, monthly on one day at 
choice, for every member who has recited at least once a day these 
two invocations which are applicable to the dead. (Rescript of Sept. 
26th, 1877.) 



Morning Prayers. 



*#f)e aLttattg of tfje ®ols Name of Sesua, 
ilORD, have mercy on us. 



f«=" I Lord, have mercy on us. 
Jesus, hear us. 
Jesus, graciously hear us. 



God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God, the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 
Jesus, Son of the living God, 
Jesus, splendor of the Father, 
Jesus, brightness of eternal light, 
Jesus, King of glory, 
Jesus, sun of justice, 
Jesus, Son of the Virgin Mary, 
Jesus, amiable, 
Jesus, admirable, 
Jesus, powerful God, 
Jesus, Father of the world to come, 
Jesus, Angel of the great council, 
Jesus, most powerful, 
Jesus, most patient, 
Jesus, most obedient, 
Jesus, meek and humble of heart, 
Jesus, lover of chastity, 
Jesus, lover of us, 
Jesus, God of peace, 
Jesus, author of life, 
Jesus, model of all virtues. 
Jesus, zealous for souls, 
Jesus, our God, 
Jesus, our refuge, 
Jesus, father of the poor, 
Jesus, treasure of the faithful, 
Jesus, good shepherd, 
Jesus, true light, 




Christ, have mercy on us. 



God, the Father of heaven, 




Daily Exercises. 



Jesus, infinite goodness, 
Jesus, our way and our life, 
Jesus, joy of angels, 
Jesus, king of the patriarchs, 
Jesus, master of the apostles, 
Jesus, teacher of the evangelists, 
Jesus, strength of martyrs, 
Jesus, light of confessors, 
Jesus, purity of virgins, 
Jesus, crown of all saints, 
fee merciful. Spare us, Jesus ! 
Be merciful. Graciously hear us, Jesus ! 
From all evil, 
From all sin, 
From Thy wrath, 
From the snares of the devil, 
From the spirit of fornication, 
From eternal death, 
From the neglect of Thy inspirations, 
By the mystery of Thy holy incarnation, 
By Thy nativity, 
By Thy infancy, 
By Thy most divine life, 
By Thy labors, 
By Thy agony and passion, 
By Thy cross and dereliction, 
By Thy langours, 
By Thy death and burial, 
By Thy resurrection, 
By Thy ascension, 
By Thy joys, 

By Thy glory, J 
Lamb of God, *Who takest away the sins of the 

world, Spare us, Jesus ! 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 

world, Hear us, O Jesus ! 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 

world, Have mercy on us, Jesus! 
Jesus, hear us. Jesus graciously hear us ! 



Morning Prayers. 



5$ 



Let us Pray. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Who hast said : Ask, and 
ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find ; 
knock, and it shall be opened unto you : 
mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us 
the gift of Thy divine charity, that we may ever love 
Thee with our whole hearts, and never desist from 
Thy praise. 

Give us, O Lord, a perpetual fear and love of Thy 
holy name, for Thou never ceasest to direct and 
govern by Thy grace those whom Thou instructest 
in the solidity or Thy love : Who Hvest and reignest 
world without end. Amen. 

he angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, 
And she conceived of the Holy Ghost. 

Hail Mar}', etc. 
Behold the handmaid of the Lord, 
Be it done unto me according to Thy word. 

Hail Mary, etc. 

And the Word was made flesh, 
And dwelt among us. 

Hail Mary, etc. 
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, 
R. That we mav be made worthy of the promises of 
Christ. 

Prayer, 

OUR forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy 
grace into our hearts, that we unto whom the 
incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made 
known by the message of an angel, may, by His 
passion and cross, be brought to the glory of the 
resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord. 
Amen. 




60 Daily Exercises. 



3. flDental prater. 

Take care to make half an hour's meditation as soon as possible in 
the day. For though meditation is not absolutely necessary, it is 
morally necessary, in order to obtain the grace of perseverance. 
Those who neglect it will tind great difficulty in persevering in 
the grace of God. The reasons for this are twofold : the first is, 
because the eternal truths cannot be seen by the eyes of the flesh, 
but only by the eye of the understanding, which is reflection. Hence 
he does not perceive them who does not meditate; and for want of 
perceiving them he will hardly arrive at a due appreciation of the 
importance of salvation, of the means which secure it, and of the 
obstacles which hinder it ; so that his salvation will be placed in im- 
minent risk. The second reason is, because the soul that does not 
practise meditation will also be backward in practising prayer. Now, 
prayer is necessary, not merely as a precept, but as a means to observe 
the commandments, since, as a general rule, and speaking of adults, 
God only gives His grace to those who ask for it. But without medi- 
tation a person has a very faint notion of his own spiritual wants, 
and he is, moreover, but slightly impressed with the necessity of 
praying, in order to overcome temptations and to save his soul : thus 
he is led to pray but little or not at all, and for want of prayer is 
eventually lost. The eminent Bishop Palafox said, " How will the 
Lord give us perseverance unless we ask Him for it? And how 
shall we ask Him for it without prayer?" On the other hand, St. 
Teresa declares that it is hardly possible for a man that prays to 
remain long in sin ; he will either forsake prayer or forsake sin ; 
prayer and sin are incompatible. 1 

With regard to practice, meditation has three parts: Preparation, 
Consideration, or Meditation, and Conclusion. 

In the preparation must be made three acts : * 

r. Act of Faith in the Presence of God. 

My God, I believe Thou art here present, and I 
adore Thee. 

2. Act of Humility. 

I deserve at this moment to be burning in hell, 
O my God, I am sorry for having offended Thee. 

1 St. Alphonsus renders the practice of mental prayer exceed- 
ingly simple, clear, easy, and fruitful ; thanks to the method he has 
given us, this exercise which is so indispensable for all who wish to 
save their souls, has b^cn placed within reach of every one. Books 
of meditation are now very numerous, and from among the Works of 
St. Alphonsus we may mention The Preparation for Death, The Way 
of Salvation, The Great Means of Salvation, Meditation? on the 
Passion, on Christmas, etc., The Glories of Mary, etc. 



Prayer to Avoid Sin, 



61 



3. Act of Petition for Light. 

Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus and Mary, 
grant me light in this meditation, that I may profit 
by it. 

Then say a Hail Mary to the divine Mother, and 
a Glory be to the Father in honor of our angel guar- 
dian and of our holy patron. 

Then read the point of Meditation, and be sure to meditate, at least 
occasionally, on the Passion of Jesus Christ. Whilst reading - , stop 
at the passages which strike you the most. It must also be under- 
stood that the fruit of prayer does not so much consist in mediating, 
but rather in producing: I. Affections, for instance of hum.lity. 
confidence, love, sorrow, offering, resignation, etc. ; II. Prayers, and 
especially imploring God to grant us perseverance and His holy love; 
III. Resolutions to avoid some particular sin and to practise some 
particular virtue. The Conclusion is made thus : 

L I thank Thee, O God, for the lights Thou hast 
given me. 

II. I purpose to keep the resolutions I have made. 
III. I beg Thy grace to fulfil them. 

Nor must we ever forget to recommend to God the holy souls in 
purgatory, and all poor sinners. We must never omit our accustomed 
meditation, whatever coldness or weariness we may feel over it ; for 
St. Teresa says, " To do so would be to cast ourselves into hell with 
our own hands. So long as a soul perseveres in prayer.'" she 
11 1 hold it for certain that the Lord will bring it to salvation." 



4. Ipraver to Hvoifc Sin. 

^ Y God ! The enemies of my soul will not cease 
to right against me till death. Unless Thou 
dost assist me. I shall lose Thee again. Ah ! 
through the merits of Jesus Christ. I ask for holy 
perseverance, do not permit me to be separated 
from Thee. And I ask the same grace for all those 
who are at present in the state of grace. I hope, 
with certainty in Thy promise, that Thou wilt give 
me perseverance if I will continue to ask it from 
Thee. But I fear that in my temptations I shall 
neglect to have recourse to Thee, and that thus I 



62 



Daily Exercises. 



shall relapse into sin. I therefore ask of Thee the 
grace never more to neglect prayer. Grant that 
whenever I shall be in danger of relapsing, I may 
recommend myself to Thee, and may invoke the 
aid of the most holy names of Jesus and Mary. My 
God ! this I purpose and hope to do with the assist- 
ance of Thy grace. Hear me for the sake of Jesus 
Christ. O Mary, my Mother ! obtain for me the 
grace that in all dangers of losing God I may have 
recourse to thee and to thy Son. 

2Tfje J8eatt8 of $erseberut£ in tfje 4£xactt>t €£otr* 

In order to obtain eternal salvation, it is not sufficient to wish to be 
saved ; but we must further use the means which have been left us 
by Jesus Christ. Otherwise, if we commit sins, it will not avail us 
in the day of judgment to excuse ourselves by saying that the temp- 
tations were great, and we were weak ; because God has given us 
the means, through His grace, of conquering all the assaults of our 
enemies : if, then, we do not take advantage of them, and are over- 
come, the fault will be our own. All men desire to be saved ; but 
because they omit to employ the means of salvation, they sin, and are 
lost. The first means is, To avoid all occasions of sin. It is impossi- 
ble for any one who does not endeavor to flee from the occasions of 
sin, especially in the matter of sensual pleasures, to avoid falling into 
sin ; for the occasion is like a veil put before our eyes, so that we can 
see nothing else — neither God, nor hell, nor the resolution we had 
made. As regards occasions, we must in this matter do violence to 
ourselves, resolutely overcoming all human respect. Those who do 
not use violence to themselves will not be saved. 

The second means is mental prayer, without which the soul will 
find it almost impossible to remain a long time in the grace of God. 
He who often meditates on the Four Last Things, will not fall into 
sin. If these truths are not meditated on, they vanish from the mind; 
and then when the pleasures of the senses present themselves to the 
imagination, they carry us away altogether. This is the reason why 
so many abandon themselves to vice, and are damned. 

Resolve, then, to make every day half an hour's meditation, or at 
least read some spiritual book, taking care from time to time to 
excite some good affection or to make some aspiration. If you do not 
discontinue this prayer you will certainly be saved. 

The third means is the frequenting of the sacraments of confes- 
sion and Communion. 

By frequent confession the soul keeps itself purified ; and by it it 
not only obtains remission of sins, but also greater strength to resist 
temptations. 

Holy Communion is called heavenly bread, because just as com- 
mon bread preserves the life of the body, so Communion preserves 
the life of the soul. Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man. you 



Acts to be Made During the Day. 



shall not have life in you. 1 On the other hand, to those who often 
eat this bread eternal life is promised: If any man eat of this breao . 
he shall live forever? Therefore the Council of Trent calls hoiy 
Communion "the medicine which delivers us from venial sins and 
preserves us from mortal ones." You should then resolve to go to 
Communion at least once a week, being- determined not to erive it up 
for anything in the world; as there is no affair of greater importance 
than that of your eternal salvation. Indeed, the more you remain in 
the world, the greater need you have of assistance, because .your 
temptations are so great. 
The fourth means is to hear Mass every day. 

The fifth means is to make a visit every day to the Most Holy Sac- 
rament in some church, and to the divine Mother before some devout 
image. 

The sixth means, the most necessary of all to put in practice, is holy 
prayer. It is certain that without the divine assistance we can do 
nothing good for our souls. God also has declared that graces ate 
granted to those only who ask for them. He who prays shall cer- 
tainly be saved ; he who prays not shall certainly be damned. 



Do not omit to hear Mass daily. Those who hear Mass should 
make a special application to their own souls of the merits of the 
Passion of Jesus Christ. Mass should be heard for the same ends for 
which it was instituted; namely, i. To honor Almighty God ; 2. To 
thank Him for His benefits ; 3. To make atonement for the punish- 
ment due to our sins ; 4. To obtain divine grace. 



a. Bets to be flDaoe smrituji tbe 2>a$. 



My God, bless this food and me, that I may com- 
mit no fault in taking it ; and may all be for Thy 
glory. 



I thank Thee, Lord ! for having done good to one 
who has so often offended Thee. 




When you begin any work or study, say: 

Lord ! I offer Thee this work. 



Before eating : 



After having eaten : 



John vi. 54. 



* Id. v. 59. 



64 



Daily Exercises. 



When the clock strikes : 

My Jesus! I love Thee : never permit me to offend 
Thee again, and let me never be separated from 
Thee. 

In adverse circumstances : 

Lord, since Thou hast so willed it, I will it also. 

In time of temptation often repeat : 
Jesus and Mary ! 

After having committed a fault or a sin : 

My God ! I repent of having offended Thee ; O 
Infinite Goodness! I will do so no more. 
If it was a grievous sin, confess it at once. 

7. £be JErercise of tbe Map of tbe 

Cross. 

Before commencing to visit the Stations, let each one, kneeling be- 
fore the high altar, make an act of contrition, and form the intention 
of gaining the indulgences, whether for himself or for the souls in 
purgatory. Then say: 

Act of Contrition. 

IEW1I Y Lord Jesus Christ, Thou hast made this 
WvA I! j° urne y to die for me with love unutter- 
able, and I have so many times unworthily 
abandoned Thee; but now I love Thee with my 
whole heart, and because I love Thee I repent sin- 
cerely for ever having offended Thee. Pardon me, 
my God, and permit me to accompany Thee on this 
journey. Thou dost go to die for love of me ; I 
wish also, my beloved Redeemer, to die for love of 
Thee. My Jesus, I will live and die always united 
to Thee. 



Daily Exercises. 



65 



jFtrst <Stattou* 

Jesus is Condemned to Death, 

V. We adore Thee, O Christ, and praise Thee. 
R. Because by Thy holy cross Thou hast re- 
deemed the world. 

ONSIDER, my soul, how Jesus, after having been 
scourged and crowned with thorns, was un- 
justly condemned by Pilate to die on the 
cross. 

My adorable Jesus, it was not Pilate, no, it was 
my sins that condemned Thee to die. I beseech 
Thee, by the merits of this sorrowful journey, to 
assist my soul in its journey towards eternity. I 
love Thee, my beloved Jesus ; I love Thee more 
than myself ; I repent with my whole heart of having 
offended Thee. Never permit me to separate my- 
self from Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee 
always ; and then do with me what Thou wilt. 

Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory be, etc. 

Jesus is Made to Bear His Cross. 

V. We adore Thee, etc. 

R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

jloxsiDER how Jesus, in making this journey 
with the cross on His shoulders, thought of 
us, and offered for us, to His Father, the death 
that He was about to undergo. 

My most beloved Jesus, I embrace all the tribula- 
tions that Thou hast destined for me until death. I 
beseech Thee, by the merits of the pain Thou didst 
surfer in carrying Thy cross, to give me the necessary 
help to carry mine with perfect patience and resig- 
nation. I love Thee, Jesus, my love; I repent of 



66 The Exercise of the Way of the Cross. 



having offended Thee. Never permit me to separate 
myself from Thee again. Grant that I may love 
Thee always, and then do with me what Thou wilt. 
Our Father, etc. 

2Tf)trtr Station* 

Jesus Falls the First Time under His Cross. 

V. We adore Thee, etc. 

R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

jjONSiDER, my soul, this first fall of Jesus under 
His cross. His flesh was torn by the scourges, 
His head crowned with thorns, and He 



had lost a great quantity of blood. He was so 
weakened that he could scarcely walk, and yet He 
had to carry this great load upon His shoulders. 
The soldiers struck Him rudely, and thus He fell 
several times in His journey. 

My beloved Jesus, it is not the weight of the 
cross, but of my sins, which has made Thee suffer 
so much pain. Ah, by the merits of this first fall, 
deliver me from the misfortune of falling into mortal 
sin. I love Thee, O my Jesus, with my whole heart ; 
I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit 
me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love 
Thee always ; and then do with me what Thou wilt. 

Our Father, etc, 

ffauvti) Station* 

Jesi,s Meets His Afflicted Mother. 

V. We adore Thee, etc. 

R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

jjONSiDER the meeting of the Son and the 
Mother, which took place on this journey. 
Jesus and Mary looked at each other, and 



their looks became as so many arrows to wound 
those hearts which loved each other so tenderly. 



The Exercise of the Way of the Cross. 67 



My most loving Jesus, by the sorrow Thou didst 
experience in this meeting, grant me the grace of a 
truly devoted love for Thy most holy Mother. 
And thou, my Queen, who wast overwhelmed with 
sorrow, obtain for me by thy intercession a continual 
and tender remembrance of the Passion of thy Son. 
I love Thee, Jesus, my love ; I repent of ever having 
offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee 
again. Grant that I may love Thee, and then do 
with me what Thou wilt. 

Our Father, etc. 



jFtftf) Station* 

The Cyrenian Helps Jesus to Carry His Crossi 

V. We adore Thee, etc. 

R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

[BjjgajlONSiDER that the Jews seeing that at each step 
ItjggS Jesus, from weakness, was on the point of ex- 
piring, and fearing that He would die on the 
way when they wished Him to die the ignominious 
death of the cross, constrained Simon the Cyrenian 
to carry the cross behind Our Lord. 

My most sweet Jesus, I will not refuse the cross 
as the Cyrenian did ; I accept it, I embrace it. I 
accept in particular the death that Thou hast des- 
tined for me with all the pains which may accom- 
pany it ; I unite it to Thy death, I offer it to Thee. 
Thou hast died for love of me, I will die for love of 
Thee, and to please Thee. Help me by Thy grace. 
I love Thee, Jesus, my love ; I repent of having 
offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee 
again. Grant that I may love Thee, and then do 
with me what Thou wilt. 

Our Father, etc. 



68 



Daily Exercises. 



Strti) Station* 

Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus, 

V. We adore Thee, etc. 

7?. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 
IsjggjaiONSiDER that the holy woman named Veronica, 
seeing Jesus so afflicted, and His face bathed 
I k— ^1 in sweat and blood, presented Him with a 
towel with which He wiped His adorable face, leav- 
ing on it the impression of His holy countenance. 

My most beloved Jesus, Thy face was beautiful 
before, but in this journey it has lost all its beauty, 
and wounds and blood have disfigured it. Alas! 
my soul also was once beautiful, when it received 
Thy grace in baptism ; but I have disfigured it since 
by my sins. Thou alone, my Redeemer, canst re- 
store it to its former beauty. Do this by Thy Pas- 
sion, and then do with me what Thou wilt. 

Our Father, etc. 

Sebentf) Station* 

Jesus Falls the Second Time. 

V. We adore Thee, etc. 
R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

jlONSiDER the second fall of Jesus under the 
cross — a fall which renews the pain of all 



the wounds of the head and members of 
our afflicted Lord. 

My most gentle Jesus, how many times Thou hast 
pardoned me and how many times have I fallen 
again, and begun again to offend Thee ! Oh, by the 
merits of this new fall, give me the necessary helps 
to persevere in Thy grace until death. Grant that 
in all temptations which assail me I may always 
commend myself to Thee. I love Thee, Jesus, my 
love, with my whole heart ; I repent of having 
offended Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee 



The Exercise of the Way of the Cross. 69 



again. Grant that I may love Thee always ; and 
then do with me what Thou wilt. 
Our Father ; etc. 

Htsfjtg Station* 

Jesus Speaks to the Daughters of Jerusalem. 
V. We adore Thee, etc. 
R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

ONSIDER that those women wept with compas- 
sion at seeing Jesus in so pitiable a state, 
I streaming with blood, as He walked along. 
But Jesus said to them, " Weep not for me, but for 
your children." 

My Jesus, laden with sorrows, I weep for the 
offences that I have committed against Thee, be- 
cause of the pains which they have deserved, and 
still more because of the displeasure which they have 
caused Thee, Who hast loved me so much. It is Thy 
love, more than the fear of hell, which causes me to 
weep for my sins. My Jesus, I love Thee more than 
myself; I repent of having offended Thee. Never 
permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may 
love Thee always ; and then do with me what Thou 
wilt. 

Our Father, etc. 

Jesus Falls the Third Time. 
V. We adore Thee, etc. 
R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

ONSIDER the third fall of Jesus Christ. His 
weakness was extreme, and the cruelty of 
his executioners excessive, who tried to 



hasten His steps when He had scarcely strength to 
move. 

Ah, my outraged Jesus, by the merits of the weak- 
ness Thou didst suffer in going to Calvary, give me 
strength sufficient to conquer all human respect and 



70 



Daily Exercises. 



all my wicked passions, which have led me to de- 
spise Thy friendship. I love Thee, Jesus, my love, 
with my whole heart ; I repent of having offended 
Thee. Never permit me to offend Thee again. 
Grant that I may love Thee always ; and then do 
with me what Thou wilt. 
Our Father, etc. 

Sentj) Station* 

Jesus is Stripped of His Garments. 
V. We adore Thee, etc. 
R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

ONSIDER the violence with which the execu- 
tioners stripped Jesus. His inner garments 
adhered to his torn flesh, and they dragged 



them off so roughly that the skin came with them. 
Compassionate your Saviour thus cruelly treated, 
and say to Him : 

My innocent Jesus, by the merits of the torment 
that Thou hast felt, help me to strip myself of all 
affection to things of earth, in order that I may 
place all my love in Thee, Who art so worthy of my 
love. I love Thee, O Jesus, with my whole heart ; 
I repent of having offended Thee. Never permit 
me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love 
Thee always ; and then do with me what Thou wilt. 

Our Father, etc. 

JBltbtntf) Station* 

Jesus is Nailed to the Cross. 

V. We adore Thee, etc. 

R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

jlONSiDER that Jesus, after being thrown on the 
cross, extended His hands, and offered to His 
eternal Father the sacrifice of His life for our 
salvation. These barbarians fasten Him with nails ; 
and then, raising the cross, leave Him to die with 
anguish on this infamous gibbet. 



The Exercise of the Way of the Cross. 71 



My Jesus, loaded with contempt, nail my heart to 
Thy feet, that it may ever remain there to love Thee, 
and never quit Thee again. I love Thee more than 
myself ; I repent of having offended Thee. Never 
permit me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may 
love Thee always ; and then do with me what Thou 
wilt. 

Otcr Father, etc. 

£toeiftf) Station* 

Jesus Dies on the Cross. 
V. We adore Thee, etc. 
R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

IJonsider that thy Jesus, after three hours' 
agony on the cross, consumed at length with 
anguish, abandons Himself to the weight of 
His body, bows His head, and dies. 

O my dying Jesus, I kiss devoutly the cross on 
which Thou didst die for love of me. I have 
merited by my sins to die a miserable death ; but 
Thy death is my hope. Ah, by the merits of Thy 
death, give me grace to die, embracing Thy feet and 
burning with love to Thee. I commit my soul into 
Thy hands. I love Thee with my whole heart ; I 
repent of ever having offended Thee. Permit not 
that I ever offend Thee again. Grant that I may 
love Thee always ; and then do with me what Thou 
wilt. 

Our Father, etc. 

2Tj)trteentj) Station* 
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross. 
V. We adore Thee, etc. 
R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 

jlONSiDER that, Our Lord having expired, two of 
His disciples, Joseph and Nicodemus, took 
Him down from the cross, and placed Him 
the arms of His afflicted Mother, who received 



72 



Daily Exercises. 



Him with unutterable tenderness, and pressed Him 
to her bosom. 

O Mother of Sorrow, for the love of this Son, 
accept me for thy servant and pray to Him for me. 
And Thou, my Redeemer, since Thou hast died for 
me, permit me to love Thee ; for I wish but Thee, 
and nothing more. I love Thee, my Jesus, and I 
repent of ever having offended Thee. Never permit 
me to offend Thee again. Grant that I may love 
Thee always ; and then do with me what Thou wilt. 

Our Father, etc. 

ffouvttmtf) Station* 

Jesus is Placed in the Sepulchre. 

V. We adore Thee, etc. 

R. Because by Thy holy cross, etc. 
iSjgsaiONSiDER that the disciples carried the body of 
tlBl J esus to bury it, accompanied by His holy 
Ifefa-^ j Mother, who arranged it in the sepulchre 
■ with her own hands. They then closed the tomb 
and all withdrew. 

Ah, my buried Jesus, I kiss the stone that encloses 
Thee. But Thou didst rise again the third day. I 
beseech Thee, by Thy resurrection, make me rise 
glorious with Thee at the last day, to be always 
united with Thee in heaven, to praise Thee and love 
Thee forever. I love Thee, and I repent of ever 
having offended Thee. Permit not that I ever 
offend Thee again. Grant that I may love Thee ; 
and then do with me what Thou wilt. 

Our Father, etc. 

After this, return to the high altar, and say, Our Father, Hail 
Mary, and Glory be to the Father, etc., five times in honor of the 
Passion of Jesus Christ, to gain the other indulgences granted to 
those who recite them. 1 



1 At the end, one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the 
Father may be said in the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff, 



Spiritual Reading. 73 



S. Spiritual IReabing. 

In order to reap all the advantage possible from our spiritual read- 
ing-, we must, before commencing - it, recommend ourselves to God, so 
that we may be enlightened by Him concerning that which we are 
about to read. During the spiritual reading it is Our Lord who is 
vouchsafing to speak to us ; in taking up our book, therefore, we 
should make use of the following prayer: 

PEAK, Lord, for Thy serva7it heareth. Yea, 
speak to my soul, and make Thy holy will 
known to me ; in all things I will obey 
Thee. 

On terminating our reading, we should choose some thought which 
has struck us the most, in order to carry it away with us. just as we 
carry away a flower from a garden where we have been walking. 
Then return thanks to Our Lord, saying : 

Lord, I thank Thee for the assistance and lights 
Thou hast vouchsafed me, in order to sanctify me 
and attach me more firmly to Thy service. 

9. Dteit to tbe Blesseb Sacrament 
ano to tbe Blesseo Dinjin fii>an>. 

How agreeable to the Heart of Jesus are those souls who fre- 
quently visit Him and love to remain in His company in the churches 
in which He dwells under the sacramental species'! Do not, O de- 
vout soul! refuse to practise this devotion, but from this time forward 
dwell each day. for at least a quarter of an hour, in some church in 
the presence of Jesus Christ under the sacramental species. Oh. how 
sweet a joy it is to remain with faith and tender devotion before an 
altar and converse familiarly with Jesus Christ ! 

Be also careful daily to visit the most holy Virgin Mary ; you may 
hope to receive great things from this most gracious Lady. 

For the way of making these Visits see Part III. 




74 Daily Exercises. 



to. Zfoc 1Rosar& or Beaos. 

Whoever has great devotion to Mary may be called blessed, even in 
this life, and may be looked on as sure of paradise, according- to the 
words placed by Holy Church in the mouth of the Queen of Heaven : 
He that shall find me, shall find life, and shall have salvation 
from the Lord (Prov. viii. 35). But who is he that findeth 
Mary ? It is he who loveth her and who honoreth her by special de- 
votions. Now, among these devotions I know of none more agree- 
able to the Mother of God than the Rosary. What sweet hope of 
salvation may we not cherish if we daily recite our Beads with piety 
and perseverance. Many books are filled with striking exam- 
ples of souls having been saved by the practice of this devotion. 
Listen to what the demons themselves have said in praise of the 
Rosary when they were forced to speak by St. Dominic : " We are 
forced to make known that whoever perseveres in devotion to Mary 
and to the Rosary will not be damned, for Mary will obtain his sal- 
vation." Do not fail then, in future, to recite at least a third part of 
it daily with great affection and confidence. 

I&gstertes to jf&etrttate on in <£rtrnr to €Kam tfje 

Joyful Mysteries, i. The Annunciation and Incarnation of 
Christ. 2. The Visitation. 3. The Nativity of Jesus Christ. 4. 
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. 5. The Finding in the 
Temple. 

Sorrowful Mysteries, i. The Agony in the Garden. 2. The 
Scourging. 3. The Crowning with Thorns. 4. The Carrying of the 
Cross. 5. The Crucifixion. 

Glorious Mysteries, i. The Resurrection of Our Lord. 2. The 
Ascension. 3. The Descent of the Holy Ghost. 4. The Assumption 
of the Blessed Virgin. 5. Her Coronation in Heaven. 

For easier meditation the mystery of each decade may be in- 
serted in each Hail Mary after the name of Jesus. Thus : 

I. In the Joyful Mysteries (for Mondays, Thursdays, and on Sun- 
days from Advent to the Octave of Epiphany). 

1. Whom thou didst conceive when a Virgin. 

2. Whom thou didst carry when visiting St. Elizabeth. 

3. Whom thou broughtest forth when a Virgin. 

4. Whom thou didst present in the Temple. 

5. Whom thou didst find in the Temple. 

II. In the Sorrowful Mysteries (for Tuesdays and Fridays and 
the Sundays in Lent). 

1. Who didst endure for us the Bloody Sweat. 

2. Who wast scourged for us. 

3. Who wast crowned with thorns for us. 

4. Who didst carry the cross for us. 

5. Who was crucified for us. 

III. In the Glorious Mysteries (for Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sun- 
days, and the Paschal season). 



'Night Prayers, 



75 



1. Who rose again from the dead. 

2. Who ascended into heaven. 

3. Who sent the Holy Ghost. 

4. Who took thee up into heaven. 

5. Who crowned thee in heaven. 



Let us place ourselves in the presence of God and adore Him. 



'ternal God ! I adore Thee and I thank Thee 



for all the benefits Thou hast bestowed 



* upon me ; for having created me, for having 
redeemed me through Jesus Christ, for haying made 
me a Christian, for having waited for me when I 
was in sin, and for having so often pardoned me. 

Let us ask of God to enlighten us that we may see our faults. 

[*WN|J| father of lights, Who enlighteneth every 
|j|3J man that comes into the world ! send into 
IP 55 ^ ! my heart a ray of light, of love, and of sor- 
row, that I may know, detest, and confess the sins 
which I have committed against Thee. 



It is very useful to make two daily examinations of conscience 
The Particular Examen and the General Examen. In practice, the 
Particular Examen is short, since we examine ourselves as to our 
predominant fault, and briefly make an act of contrition. 

The General Examen requires more time. In order to make it 
properly, commence by asking God for the necessary lights ; then 
recall to mind all you have done during the day, and see what faults 
you have committed. For example : Idleness in rising, impatience, 
vanity, or wish to show off ; foolish, idle, and uncharitable talk ; lies 
to excuse yourself, intemperance in eating, voluntary distractions 
during prayers or at Mass, curiosity, lost time, omission of good 
works, backbiting, disobedience, want of respect for superiors, 
negligence in resisting bad thoughts, and similar temptations. 

However, when you are conscious of having committed any fault, 
d^ not wait till the evening to repair your fault : so soon as your 
conscience reproaches you make an act of contrition and then re- 
main in peace. These stings of conscience ought to be a consolation 
to you, for they show you that you have a horror of sin. 

After examining your conscience make the following acts, 



XL ftUgbt praters. 




Let us examine our conscience. 



76 



Daily Exercises. 



^tt of JFattJi* 

■~~ my God ! Who art the infallible Truth, I be- 
lieve everything which the Holy Church 
— commands me to believe, because Thou 
hast revealed it to her. I believe that Thou art 
the Creator of heaven and earth, that Thou dost 
reward the just in paradise, and punish the wicked 
eternally in hell. I believe that Thou art one di- 
vine essence in three persons, namely, the Father, 
the Son, and the Holy Ghost. I believe the Incar- 
nation and the death of Jesus Christ. In a word, I 
believe ali that the Holy Church believes.* I thank 
Thee for having made me a Christian and a Catho- 
lic, and I protest that I will live and die in this holy 
faith. 



ma of mop** 

MY God ! I confide in Thy promises, because 
Thou art faithful, powerful, and merciful, 
and hope, through the merits of Jesus 
Christ, for the pardon of my sins, final perseverance, 
and the everlasting glory of paradise. 



&tt of 2Lobe amrtr (ftoittrtttott, 

MY God !* I love Thee with all my heart, and 
above all things, because Thou art infinitely 
good, and worthy of infinite love, and for 
love of Thee I love my neighbor as myself. I am 
heartily sorry for all my sins, because by them I 
have lost heaven and deserved hell ; but more than 
all because I have offended Thee. O my God, who 
art infinitely good, and worthy of all my love ; but 
now I am firmly resolved, by the help of Thy grace, 
never to sin against Thee any more, and to avoid all 




Night Prayers. 



77 



occasions of sin. I purpose, also, to receive the 
hory sacraments during my life and at my death. 
Our Father, Hail Mary, The Creed. 

The members of the Propagation of the Faith may here add : " St 
Francis Xavier, pray for us." (100 days' indulgence for the members 
March 15th, 1823.) 

Ef)t 3Litan# of tfje 3Slessetr Virgin. 

(300 days' Indulgence, Sept. 30th, 1817.) 

j]ORD, have mercy. 
Christ, have mercy. 
Lord, have mercy. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God, the Father of heaven, Have mercy on us. 
God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, 

Have mercy on us. 
God, the Holy Ghost, Have mercy on us. 
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us. 
Holy Mary, 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of virgins, 
Mother of Christ, 
Mother of divine grace, 
Mother most pure, 
Mother most chaste, 
Mother inviolate, 
Mother undefined, 
Mother most amiable, 
Mother most admirable, 
Mother of our. Creator, 
Mother of our Saviour, 
Virgin most prudent, 
Virgin most venerable, 
Virgin most renowned, 
Virgin most powerful, 
Virgin most merciful, 
Virgin most faithful, 



7 8 



Daily Exercises. 



8 



Mirror of justice, 
Seat of wisdom. 
Cause of our joy, 
Spiritual vessel, 
Vessel of honor, 
Singular vessel of devotion, 
Mystical rose, 
Tower of David, 
Tower of ivory, 
House of gold, 
Ark of the covenant, 
Gate of heaven, 
Morning star, 
Health of the sick, 
Refuge of sinners, 
Comforter of the afflicted, 
Help of Christians, 
Queen of angels, 
Queen of patriarchs, 
Queen of prophets, 
Queen of apostles, 
Queen of martyrs, 
Queen of confessors, 
Queen of virgins, 
Queen of all saints,. 
Queen conceived without original sin, 
Queen of the most holy Rosary, J 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 

world, Spare us, Lord 7 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 

world, Graciously hear us, Lord.! 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 

world, Have mercy on us ! 
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. 
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises 

of Christ. 



Night Prayers. 



79 



Let us Pray. 



Grant to us, Thy servants, we beseech Thee, 
Lord God, to enjoy perpetual health of mind and 
body ; and by the glorious intercession of Blessed 
Mary, ever Virgin, to be delivered from present sor- 
row, and to rejoice with eternal joy. Through Jesus 
Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

Erasers to <®ur SLafcrg of Jperpetual J^eljn 

I. For Ourselves. 




blessed Virgin Mary, thou hast chosen for 
thyself the sweet title of " Mother of Per- 
petual Help," in order to increase our con- 



fidence in thee. I implore thee to be my help at all 
times and in all places, in all my difficulties and 
troubles, but especially at the hour of death ! O 
loving Mother, make me not only mindful to call on 
thee in my necessities, but obtain for me the grace 
of habitually invoking thy intercession, and on all 
occasions. I am certain that if I be faithful in ask- 
ing thy assistance, thou wilt be faithful in affording 
me succor. Obtain for me, also, that most precious 
of graces, to pray to thee with an unwavering and 
child-like confidence, that through such prayers I 
may secure thy perpetual help and final persever- 
ance. Bless me, O sweet, O helpful Mother, now 
and at the hour of my death. Amen. 

II. Prayer for the Necessities of the Church. 

KEjal blessed Virgin Mary, thou whom we love 



to greet as our Mother of Perpetual Help! 



""3 1 do thou show thyself worthy of this glori- 
ous appellation by covering the Church and her 
august Head with the buckler of thy continual pro- 
tection. Through the infinite merits of the Heart 
of Jesus, which we offer to the Eternal Father, by 
thy hands, do thou obtain for sinners the grace of 




8o 



Daily Exercises. 



sincere repentance ; for the dying, a happy death ; 
for the souls of our deceased relatives, deliverance 
from the flames of purgatory ; and for us all, pardon 
and abundant mercy. Amen. 

Eraser for a €£ooir 3@eatf), 

||y Lord Jesus Christ, by that bitterness which 
Thou didst endure on the cross when Thy 
blessed soul was separated from Thy most 
sacred body, have pity on my sinful soul when it 
leaves my miserable body to enter into eternity. 

O Mary ! by that grief which thou didst experience 
qn Calvary in seeing Jesus expire on the cross be- 
fore thine eyes, obtain for me a good death, that, 
loving Jesus and thee, my Mother, in this life, I may 
attain heaven, where I shall love thee for all eternity. 

$ra#er before ^otns to J3eir* 

thank Thee, O my God ! for having pre- 
served my life during this day; I beg of 
Thee to preserve it during this night, and to 
keep me from all sin. I take this repose in order to 
fulfil Thy will, and I hereby form the intention of 
loving, praising, and thanking Thee, as the angels 
and saints do in heaven, with every breath I take. 

Mary, my Mother! bless me and cover me with 
the mantle of thy protection. My guardian angel, 
my holy patrons, intercede for me ; all ye saints of 
paradise, pray for me. 

Three Hail Marys, as at p. 56. 

Then lie down to rest. In undressing observe the rules of mod- 
esty. Sprinkle your bed with holy water. Before composing - your- 
self to sleep, say: Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit. Say 
this prayer with the intention of offering every breath as an act of 
love to God. 



The Way to Converse with God. Si 



12. Gbe Ma? to Converse always 
ano familiarly witb 600. 

^Taken from a small French work, and enlarged by other sacred 
thoughts, affections, and exercises of the author.) 

I. 

©otr totsfjes us to ^pcak to W.im toiti) Conference antr 
jjamtltprtti), 

OLY Job was struck with wonder to consider 
our God so devoted in benefiting man, and 
— showing the chief care of His Heart to be 
to love man and to make Himself beloved by him. 
Speaking to the Lord, he exclaims : " What is man, 
that Thou shouldst magnify him, or why dost Thou 
set Thy Heart upon him ?" (Job vii. 17.) Hence it 
is clearly a mistake to think that great confidence 
and familiarity in treating with God is a want of 
reverence to His Infinite Majesty. Thou oughtest 
indeed. O devout soul, to revere Him in all humility, 
and abase thyself before Him ; specially when thou 
dost call to mind the unthankfulness and the out- 
rages whereof, in past times, thou hast been guilty. 
Yet this should not hinder thy treating with Him 
with the most tender love and confidence in thy 
power. He is Infinite Majesty; but at the same 
time He is Infinite Goodness, Infinite Love. In 
God thou dost possess the Lord most exalted and 
supreme ; but thou hast also Him who loves thee 
with the greatest possible love. He disdains not, 
but delights that thou shouldst use towards Him 
that confidence, that freedom and tenderness, which 
children use towards their mothers. Hear how He 
invites us to come to His feet, and the caresses He 
promises to bestow on us : "You shall be carried at 



82 



Daily Exercises, 



the breasts, and upon the knees the} 7 shall caress 
you : as one whom the mother caresseth, so will I 
comfort you" (Is. lxvi. 12, 13). As a mother de- 
lights to place her little child upon her knees, and 
so to feed or to caress him ; with like tenderness 
does our gracious God delight to treat the souls 
whom He loves, who have 'given themselves wholly 
to Him, and placed all their hopes in His goodness. 

Consider, thou hast neither friend nor brother, 
father nor mother, spouse nor lover, who loves thee 
more than thy God. The divine grace is that great 
treasure whereby we vilest of creatures, we servants, 
become the dear friends of our Creator Himself : 
" For she is an infinite treasure to men, which they 
that use become the friends of God" (Wis. vii. 14). 
For this purpose He increases our confidence; He 
"emptied Himself," and brought Himself to naught, 
so to speak; abasing Himself even to becoming man 
and conversing familiarly with us : "He conversed 
with men" (Bar. iii. 38). He went so far as to be- 
come an infant, to become poor, even so far as openly 
to die the death of a malefactor upon the cross. 
He went yet farther, even to reside under the ap- 
pearance of bread, in order to become our constant 
companion and unite Himself intimately with us : 
" He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood 
abideth in Me, and I in him" (St. John vi. 57). In 
a w r ord, He loves thee as much as though He had no 
love but towards thyself alone. For which reason 
thou oughtest to have no love for any but for Him- 
self. Of Him, therefore, thou mayest say, and thou 
oughtest to say it : " My Beloved to me, and I to 
Him" (Cant. ii. 16). My God has given Himself all 
to me, and I give myself all to Him ; He has chosen 
me for His beloved, and I choose Him, of all others, 
for my only Love : " My Beloved is white and ruddy, 
chosen out of thousands" (Cant. v. 10). 

Say, then, to Him often ; O my Lord ! wherefore 



The Way to Converse with God. 



S3 



dost Thou love me thus ? what good thing dost 
Thou see in me? Hast Thou forgotten the injuries 
I have done Thee ? But since Thou hast treated 
me so lovingly, and instead of casting me into hell, 
hast granted me so many favors, whom can I desire 
to love from this day forward but Thee, my God. 
my All ? Ah, most gracious God, if in time past I 
have offended Thee, it is not so much the punish- 
ment I have deserved that now grieves me, as the 
displeasure I have given Thee, Who art worthy of 
infinite love. But Thou knowest not how to despise 
a heart that repents and humbles itself: u A contrite 
and humble heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise" 
(Ps. L 19). Ah, now, indeed, neither in this life nor 
in the other do I desire any but Thee alone : " What 
have I in heaven ? and besides Thee, what do I de- 
sire upon earth ? Thou art the God of my heart, 
and the God that is my portion forever" (Ps. lxxii. 
25, 26). Thou alone art and shall be forever the 
only Lord of my heart, of my will ; Thou my only 
Good, my Heaven, my Hope, my Love, my All : 
" The God of my heart, and the God that is my por- 
tion forever." 

The more to strengthen thy confidence in God. 
often call to mind His loving treatment of thee, and 
the gracious means He has used to drive thee from 
the disorders of thy life and thy attachments to 
earth, in order to draw thee to His holy love ; and 
therefore fear to have too little confidence in treat- 
ing with thy God, now that thou hast a resolute will 
to love and to please Him with all thy power. The 
mercies He has granted thee are most sure pledges 
of the love He bears thee. God is displeased with 
a want of trust on the part of souls that heartily 
love Him. and whom He loves. If, then, thou desir- 
est to please His loving Heart, converse with Him 
from this day forward with the greatest confidence 
and tenderness thou canst possibly have. " I have 



8 4 



Daily Exercises. 



graven thee in My hands : thy walls are always 
before my eyes" (Is. xlix. 16). Beloved soul, says 
the Lord, what dost thou fear or mistrust ? I have 
thee written in My hands, so as never to forget to do 
thee good. Art thou afraid of thine enemies ? Know 
that the care of thy defence is always before Me, 
so that I cannot lose sight of it. Therefore did 
David rejoice, saying to God : " Thou hast crowned 
us as with a shield of Thy good will" (Ps. v. 13). 
Who, O Lord ! can ever harm us, if Thou with Thy 
goodness and love dost defend and encompass us 
round about ? Above all, animate thy confidence at 
the thought of the gift that God has given us of Jesus 
Christ: "God so loved the world as to give His 
only-begotten Son" (St. John iii. 16). How can we 
ever fear, exclaims the Apostle, that God would re- 
fuse us any good, after He has vouchsafed to give us 
His own Son? "He delivered Him up for us all; 
how hath He not also, with Him, given us all 
things?" (Rom. viii. 32.) 

" My delights are to be with the children of men" 
(Prov. viii. 31). The paradise of God, so to speak, 
is the heart of man. Does God love Thee? Love 
Him. His delights are to be with thee; let thine 
be to be with Himself, to pass all thy lifetime with 
Him, in the delight of whose company thou hopest 
to spend a blissful eternity. Accustom thyself to 
speak with Him alone, familiarly, with confidence 
and love, as to the dearest friend thou hast, and who 
loves thee best. 

II. 

ts 3Sas£ Hxttj &QvttaMt to JEnttxtuin <&nt % 
<Seif toutfj e£otr, 

lUg'jKjIF it be a great mistake, as has been already 
13 PI said, to converse mistrustfully with God, — 
IfissSf to be always coming before Him as a slave 
full of fear and confusion comes before his prince, 



The Way to Converse with God. 85 



trembling with dread, — it would be a greater to think 
that conversing with God is but weariness and bit- 
terness. No, it is not so: " Her conversation hath 
no bitterness, nor her company any tediousness" 
(Wisd. viii. 16). Ask those souls who love Him 
with a true love, and they will tell thee that in the 
sorrows of their life they find no greater, no truer 
relief, than in a loving converse with God. 

Now this does not require thee continually to 
apply thy mind to it, so as to forget all thy employ- 
ments and recreations. It only requires of thee, 
without putting these aside, to act towards God as 
thou dost act on occasion towards those who love 
thee, and whom thou lovest. 

Thy God is ever near thee, nay? within thee : " In 
Him we live, and move, and be" (Acts xvii. 28). 
There is no barrier at the door against any who de- 
sire to speak with Him, nay, God delights that thou 
shouldst treat with Him confidently. Treat with 
Him of thy business, thy plans, thy griefs, thy fears, 
— of all that concerns thee. Above all, do so (as I 
have said) with confidence, with open heart. For 
God is not wont to speak to the soul that speaks 
not to Him ; forasmuch as, if she be not used to con- 
verse with Him, she would little understand His 
voice when He spoke to her. And this is what the 
Lord complains of : " Our sister is little : what shall 
we do to our sister in the day when she is to be 
spoken to ?" (Cant. viii. 8.) 

Our sister is but a child in My love ; what shall we 
do to speak to her if she understand Me not ? God 
will have Himself esteemed the Lord of surpassing 
power and terribleness, when we despise His grace ; 
but, on the contrary, He will have Himself treated 
with as the most affectionate Friend, when we love 
Him ; and to this end He would have us often speak 
with Him familiarly and without restraint. 

It is true that God ought always to be revered in 



86 



Daily Exercises. 



the highest degree; but when He favors thee by 
making thee feel his Presence, and know His desire 
that thou shouldst speak to Him as to that One Who 
loves thee above all, then express to Him thy feel- 
ings with freedom and confidence. " She preventeth 
them that Covet her, so that she first showeth her- 
self unto them" (Wisd. vi. 14). When thou desirest 
His love, He takes the first step, without waiting till 
thou comest to Him ; and presents Himself to thee, 
bringing with Him the graces and the remedies thou 
dost stand in need of. He only waits for thee to 
speak to Him, to show thee that He is near to thee, 
ready to hear and to comfort thee : " And His ears 
are unto their prayers" (Ps. xxxiii. 16). 

By reason of His immensity, our God is in every 
place ; but there *are two places above all where He 
has His own peculiar dwelling. One is the highest 
heaven, where He is present by that glory which He 
communicates to the blessed ; the other is upon 
earth, — it is within the humble soul that loves Him: 
" who dwelleth with a contrite and humble spirit " 
(Is. lvii. 15). He, then, our God, dwelleth in the 
height of heaven ; and yet He disdains not to occupy 
and engage Himself day and night with His faithful 
servants in their cabins or their cells. And there 
He bestows on them His divine consolations, each 
one of which surpasses all the delights the world 
can give, and which he only desires not who has no 
experience of them : " Oh, taste and see that the Lord 
is sweet " (Ps. xxxiii. 9). 

Friends in the world have some hours in which 
they converse together, and others during which they 
are apart; but between God and thee (if thou wiliest) 
there shall never be one hour of separation: "Thou 
shalt rest, and thy sleep shall be sweet : the Lord will 
be at thy side" (Prov. iii. 24, 26). Thou shalt sleep, 
and God will place Himself at thy side, and watch 
with thee continually ; " I will repose myself with 



The Way to Converse with God. 



Him, and He shall be a comfort in my cares and grief " 
(see Wisd. viii. 9-16). When thou takest thy rest, 
He departs not from beside thy pillow ; He remains 
thinking always of thee, that when thou wakest in the 
night He may' speak to thee by His inspirations, and 
receive from thee some act of love, of oblation, of 
thanksgiving; so as to keep up even in those hours 
His gracious and sweet converse with thee. Some- 
times also He will speak to thee in thy sleep, and 
cause thee to hear His voice, that on waking thou 
mayest put in practice what He has spoken : " I will 
speak to him in a dream" (Num. xii. 6). 

He is there also in the morning, to hear from thee 
some word of affection, of confidence ; to be the de- 
pository of thy first thoughts, and of all the actions 
which thou shalt promise to perform that day to 
please Him ; of all the griefs, too, which thou offerest 
to endure willingly for His glory and love. But as 
He fails not to present Himself to thee at the mo- 
ment of thy waking, fail not thou, on thy part, to 
give Him immediately a look of love, and to rejoice 
when thy God announces to thee the giad tidings 
that He is not far from thee, as once He was by rea- 
son of thy sins ; but that He loves thee, and would 
be beloved of thee : and at that same moment He 
gives thee the gracious precept, " Thou shalt love 
the Lord thy God with thy whole heart " (Deut. 



1. In General. 
ever, then, forget His sweet Presence, as do 
the greater part of men. Speak to Him as 
often as thou canst; for He does not grow 
weary of this nor disdain it, as do the lords of the 
earth. If thou lovest Him, thou wilt not beat a loss 
what to say to Him. Tell Him all that occurs to 



Daily Exercises. 



thee about thyself and thy affairs, as thou wouldst 
tell it to a dear friend. Look not upon Him as a 
haughty sovereign, who will only converse with the 
great, and on great matters. He, our God, delights 
to abase Himself to converse with us, loves to have 
us communicate to Him our smallest, our most daily 
concerns. He loves thee as much, and has as much 
care for thee, as if He had none others to think of 
but thyself. He is as entirely devoted to thy in- 
terests as though the only end of His providence 
were to succor thee, of His almighty power to aid 
thee, of His mercy and goodness to take pity on 
thee, to do thee good, and gain by the delicate 
touches of His kindness thy confidence and love. 
Manifest, then, to Him freely all thy state of mind, 
and pray Him to guide thee to accomplish perfectly 
His holy will. And let all thy desires and plans be 
simply bent to discover His good pleasure, and do 
what is agreeable to His Divine Heart : " Commit 
thy way to the Lord, and desire of Him to direct 
thy ways, and that all thy counsels may abide in 
Him" (Tob. iv. 20). 

! Say not : But where is the need of disclosing to 
God all my wants, if He already sees and knows 
them better than I ? True, He knows them ; but 
God makes as if He knew not the necessities about 
which thou dost not speak to Him, and for which 
thou seekest not His aid. Our Saviour knew well 
that Lazarus was dead, and yet He made as if He 
knew it not, until the Magdalene had told him of it, 
and then He comforted her by raising her brother 
to life again. 

2. In Trials. 

HEN, therefore, thou art afflicted with any sick- 
ness, temptation, persecution, or other trou- 
ble, go at once and beseech Him, that His 
hand may help thee. It is enough for thee to pre- 




The Way to Converse with God, 



8g 



sent the affliction before Him ; to come in and say 
" Behold, O Lord, for I am in distress" (Lam. i. 20). 
He will not fail to comfort thee, or at least to give 
thee strength to suffer that grief with patience ; and 
it shall turn out a greater good to thee than if He 
had altogether freed thee from it. Tell Him all the 
thoughts of fea*- or of sadness that torment thee ; and 
say to Him: My God, in Thee are all my hopes; I 
offer to Thee this affliction, and resign myself to Thy 
will ; but do Thou take pity on me, — either deliver 
me out of it, or give me strength to bear it. And 
He will truly keep with thee that promise made in 
the Gospel to all those who are in trouble, to console 
and comfort them as often as they have recourse to 
Him: " Come to Me, all you that labor and are bur- 
dened, and I will refresh you" (Matt. xi. 28). 

He will not be displeased, that in thy desolations 
thou shouldst go to thy friends to find some relief ; 
but He wills thee chiefly to have recourse to Him- 
self. At all events, therefore, after thou hast applied 
to creatures, and they have been unable to comfort 
thy heart, have recourse to thy Creator, and say to 
Him: Lord, men have only words for me; "my 
friends are full of words :" they cannot comfort me, 
nor do I any more desire to be comforted by them; 
Thou art all my hope, all my love. From Thee only 
will I receive comfort ; and let my comfort be, on 
this occasion, to do what pleaseth Thee. Behold me 
ready to endure this grief through my whole life, 
through all eternity, if such be Thy good pleasure. 
Only do Thou help me. 

Fear not that He will be offended if thou dost 
sometimes gently complain, and say to Him, " Why, 
O Lord, hast Thou retired afar off?" (Ps. ix. 1.) 
Thou knowest, Lord, that I love Thee, and desire 
nothing but Thy love ; in pity help me, and forsake 
me not. And when the desolation lasts long, and 
troubles thee exceedingly, unite thy voice, to that of 



9 o 



Daily Exercises, 



Jesus in agony and dying on the Cross, and beseech 
His mercy, saying: "My God, my God, why hast 
Thou forsaken me ?" (St. Matt, xxvii. 46.) But let the 
effect of this be, to humble thee yet more at the 
thought, that he deserves no consolations who has 
offended God ; and yet more to enliven thy confi- 
dence, knowing that God does all things, and per- 
mits all, for thy good : " All things work together 
unto good " (Rom. viii. 28). Say with great courage, 
even when thou dost feel most troubled and discon- 
solate : "The Lord is my light and my salvation ; 
whom shall I fear?" (Ps. xxvi. 1). Lord, it is Thine 
to enlighten me, it is Thine to save me ; in Thee do 
I trust: " In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped ; let me 
never be confounded " (Ps. xxx. 1). And thus keep 
thyself in peace ; knowing there never was any one 
who placed his hopes in God and was lost : " No one 
hath hoped in the Lord, and hath been confounded" 
(Eccl. ii. 11). Consider, thy God loveth thee more 
than thou canst love thyself : what dost thou fear? 
David comforted himself, saying : " The Lord is care- 
ful for me" (Ps. xxxix. 18). Say to Him, therefore, 
Lord, into Thy arms I cast myself ; I desire to have 
no thought but of loving and pleasing Thee ; behold 
me ready to do what Thou requirest of me. Thou 
dost not only will my good, Thou art careful for it; 
unto Thee, then, do I leave the care of my salvation. 
In Thee do I rest, and will rest for evermore, since 
Thou wiliest that in Thee I should place all my 
hopes : " In peace, in the selfsame, I will sleep and I 
will rest ; for Thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled 
me in hope" (Ps. iv. 9, 10). 

" Think of the Lord in goodness" (Wisd. i. 1). In 
these words the Wise Man exhorts us to have more 
confidence in the Divine mercy than dread of the 
Divine justice ; since God is immeasurably more in- 
clined to bestow favors than to punish, as St. James 
says : " Mercy exalteth itself above judgment " 



The Way to Converse with God. 



9i 



(ii. 13). Whence the apostle St. Peter (1 Ep. v. 7) 
tells us, that in all fears whether about our interests 
for time or for eternity, we should commit ourselves 
altogether to the goodness of our God, who keeps 
the greatest care of our safety: " Casting all your care 
upon Him, 'for He hath care of you." Oh, what a 
beautiful meaning does this lend to the title which 
David gives to the Lord, when he says that our God 
is the God who makes it His care to save: "Our 
God is the God of salvation" (Ps. lxvii. 21) ; which 
signifies, as Bellarmine explains it, that the office 
peculiar to the Lord is, not to condemn, but to save 
all. For while He threatens with His displeasure 
those who disregard Him, He promises, on the other 
hand, His assured mercies to those who fear Him; 
as the ^Divine Mother said in her Canticle : "And 
His mercy is to them that fear Him." I set before 
thee, devout soul, all these passages of Scripture, 
that when the thought disquiets thee : Am I to be 
saved or no ? am I predestined or no ? thou mayest 
take courage, and understand from the promises He 
makes thee, what desire God has to save thee, if 
only thou art resolved to serve Him and to love 
Him as He demands at thy hands. 

3. In Joys. 

IJurther, when thou receivest pleasant news, do 
not act like those unfaithful, thankless souls 
who have recourse to God in time of trouble, 
but in time of prosperity forget and forsake Him. Be 
as faithful to Him as thou wouldst be to a friend who 
loves thee and rejoices in thy good ; go at once and 
tell Him of thy gladness, and praise Him and give 
Him thanks, acknowledging it all as a gift from His 
hands; and rejoice in that happiness because it 
comes to thee of His good pleasure. Rejoice, there- 
fore, and comfort thyself in Him alone : " I will re- 
joice in the Lord ; and I will joy in God my Jesus" 



92 



Daily Exercises. 



(Habac. in. 18). Say to Him : My Jesus, I bless, and 
will ever bless Thee, for granting me so many favors, 
when I deserved at Thy hands not favors, but chas- 
tisements for the affronts I have given Thee. Say 
to Him, with the sacred Spouse : " All fruits, the 
new and the old, my Beloved, I have kept for Thee" 
(Cant. vii. 13). Lord, I give Thee thanks; I keep in 
memory all Thy bounties, past and present, to render 
Thee praise and glory for them forever and ever. 

But if thou lovest thy God, thou oughtest to re- 
joice more in His blessedness than in thine own. He 
who loves a friend very much sometimes takes more 
delight in that friend's good than if it had been his 
own. Comfort thyself, then, in the knowledge that 
thy God is infinitely blessed. Be often saying to 
Him: My beloved Lord, I rejoice more in Thy bless- 
edness than in any good of mine ; yes, for I love 
Thee more than I love myself. 

4. After a Fault. 
nother mark of confidence highly pleasing to 
thy most loving God is this : that when thou 
hast committed any fault,thou be not ashamed 
to go at once to His feet and seek His pardon. Con- 
sider that God is so greatly inclined to pardon sinners, 
that He laments their perdition, when they depart far 
from Him and live as dead to His grace. Therefore 
does He lovingly call them, saying : " Why will you 
die, O house of Israel ? Return ye, and live" (Ezech. 
xviii. 31, 32). He promises to receive the soul that 
has forsaken Him, so soon as she returns to His 
arms: " Turn ye to me . . . and I will turn to you" 
(Zach. i. 3). Oh, if sinners did but know with what 
tender mercy the Lord stands waiting to forgive 
them ! " The Lord waiteth, that He may have mer- 
cy on you " (Is. xxx. 18). Oh, did they but know the 
desire He has, not to chastise, but to see them con- 
verted, that He may embrace them, that He may 



The Way to Converse with God. 93 



press them to His Heart ! He declares : " As I live, 
saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the 
wicked, but that- the wicked turn from his way and 
Live" (Ezech. xxxiii. 11). He even says: "And then 
come and accuse Me, saith the Lord : if your sins be 
as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow " 
(Is. i. 18). As though He had said : Sinners, repent 
of having offended Me, and then come unto Me: if 
I do not pardon you, " accuse Me ;" upbraid Me, and 
treat Me as one unfaithful. But no, I will not be 
wanting to My promise. If you will come, know 
this, that though your consciences are dyed deep 
as crimson by your sins, I will make them by My 
grace as white as snow. 

In a word, He has declared that when a soul re- 
pents of having offended Him, He forgets all her sins : 
" I will not remember all his iniquities" (Ezech. 
xviii. 22). As soon, then, as thou tallest into any 
fault, raise thine eyes to God, make an act of love, 
and with humble confession of thy fault, hope as- 
suredly for His pardon, and say to Him, " Lord, be- 
hold he whom Thou lovest is sick ;" that heart 
which Thou dost love is sick, is full of sores: "heal 
my soul ; for I have sinned against Thee." Thou 
seekest after penitent sinners ; behold, here is one at 
Thy feet, who is come in search of Thee. The evil 
is done already ; what have I now to do ? Thou wilt 
not have me lose courage ; after this my sin Thou 
dost still love me, and I too love Thee. Yes, my 
God, I love Thee with all my heart; I repent of the 
displeasure I have given Thee; I purpose never to 
do so more. Thou, Who art that God, " merciful 
and gracious, patient and of much compassion," for- 
give me ; make me to hear what Thou didst say to 
the Magdalene : " Thy sins are forgiven thee ;" and 
give me strength to be faithful unto Thee for the 
time to come. 

That thou mayest not lose courage at such a mo- 



94 



Daily Exercises. 



ment, cast a glance at Jesus on the Cross ; offer His 
merits to the Eternal Father; and thus hope cer- 
tainly for pardon, since He " spared- not even His 
own Son." Say to Him with confidence : " Look on 
the face of Thy Christ " (Ps. lxxxiii. 10). My God, 
behold Thy Son, dead for my sake ; and for the love 
of that Son forgive me. Attend, greatly devout soul, 
to the instruction commonly given by masters of the 
spiritual life, after thy unfaithful conduct, at once to 
have recourse to God, though thou hast repeated it 
a hundred times in a day ; and after thy falls, and 
the recourse thou hast had to the Lord (as has been 
just said), at once to be in peace. Otherwise, while 
thou remainest cast down and disturbed at the fault 
thou hast committed, thy converse with God will be 
small ; thy trust in Him will fail ; thy desire to love 
Him grow cold ; and thou wilt be little able to go 
forward in the way of the Lord. On the other hand, 
by having immediate recourse to God to ask His 
forgiveness, and to promise Him amendment, thy 
very faults will serve to advance thee farther in the 
Divine love. Between friends who sincerely love 
each other, it often happens that when one has dis- 
pleased the other, and then humbles himself and 
asks pardon, their friendship thereby becomes stron- 
ger than ever. Do thou likewise : see to it that thy 
very faults serve to bind thee yet closer in love to 
thy God. 



N any kind of doubtfulness also, either on thy 



own account or that of others, never leave 



IfiftffVi] acting towards thy God with a confidence like 
to that of faithful friends, who consult together on 
every matter. So do thou take counsel with Himself, 
and beseech Him to enlighten thee, that thou mayest 
decide on what shall be most pleasing to Him : " Put 
those words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolu- 



5. In Doubts. 




The Way to Converse with God. 95 



tion in my heart" (Jud. ix. 18). Lord, tell me what 
Thou wouldst have me to do, or to answer; and thus 
will I. " Speak, Lord ; for Thy servant heareth." 

6. For your Neighbor. 
|g T gsa|SE towards Him also the freedom of recom- 
Ig9 mending not only thy own needs, but also those 
ft — B of others. How agreeable will it be to thy 
God, that sometimes thou forget even thy own inter- 
ests, to speak to Him of the advancement of His glory, 
of others' miseries, especially those who groan in afflic- 
tion, of those souls, His spouses, who in purgatory sigh 
after the Vision of Himself, and of poor sinners who 
are living destitute of His grace ! For these especially 
say to Him : Lord, Thou Who art so amiable, and wor- 
thy of an infinite love, how dost Thou, then, endure to 
see such a number of souls in the world, on whom 
Thou hast bestowed so many favors, and who yet 
will not know Thee, will not love Thee, nay, even 
offend and despise Thee ? Ah, my God, object of 
all love, make Thyself to be known, make Thyself 
to be beloved. " Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy 
kingdom come ;" may Thy Name be adored and be- ; 
loved by all ; may Thy love reign in all hearts. Ah, 
let me not depart without granting me some grace 
for those unfaithful souls for whom I pray. 

7. The Desire for Heaven. 

IfcMfcJF * s sa ^ t * iat * n P ur gatory those souls who in 
(pi pa this life have had but little longing for heaven 
are punished with a particular suffering, 
called the pain of languor ; and with reason, because 
to long but little for heaven is to set small value on 
that great good of the eternal kingdom which our Re- 
deemer has purchased for us by His death. Forget 
not, therefore, devout soul, frequently to sigh after 
heaven : say to thy God, that it seems to thee an end- 
less time for thee to come and see Him, and to love 



9 6 



Daily Exercises, 



Him face to face. Long ardently to depart out of 
this banishment, this scene of sinning, and danger of 
losing His grace, that thou mayest arrive in that land 
of love where thou shalt love Him with all thy powers. 
Say to Him again and again, Lord, so long as I live 
on this earth, I am always in danger of forsaking 
Thee, and losing Thy love. When shall it be that I 
quit this life, wherein I am ever offending Thee, and 
come to love Thee with all my soul, and unite my- 
self to Thee, with no danger of losing Thee any 
more ? St. Teresa was ever sighing after this sort, 
and used to rejoice when she heard the clock strike, 
because another hour of life, and of the danger of 
losing God, was past and gone. For she so greatly 
desired death in order to see God, that she was dying 
with the desire to die ; and hence she composed that 
loving canticle of hers, " I die, because I do not die." 

IV. 

j]N a word, if thou desirest to delight the loving 
Heart of thy God, be careful to speak to 
Him as often as thou art able, and with the 



fullest confidence that He will not disdain to answer 
and to speak with thee in return. He does not, in- 
deed, make Himself heard in any voice which 
reaches thy ears, but in a voice which thy heart can 
well perceive, when thou dost withdraw from con- 
verse with creatures, to occupy thyself in conversing 
with thy God alone : " I will lead her into the wilder- 
ness,* and I will speak to her heart " (Osee ii. 14). 
He will then speak to thee by such inspirations, 
such interior lights, such manifestations of His good- 
ness, such sweet touches in thy heart, such tokens 
of forgiveness, such experience of peace, such hopes 



* In solitudinem, " into solitude." Vulg r 



The Way to Converse with God. 



97 



of heaven, such rejoicings within thee, such sweet- 
ness of His grace, such loving and close embraces, 
in a word, such voices of love, — as are well under- 
stood by those souls whom He loves, and who seek 
for nothing but Himself alone. 



practical Summars* 

astly, to make a brief summary of what has 



already been said at large, I will not omit to 



l * 1 — * i suggest a devout practice whereby thou may- 
est fulfil all thy daily actions in a manner pleasing to 
God. When thou wakest in the morning, let it be 
thy first thought to raise thy mind to Him, offering 
to His glory all thou shalt do or suffer that day, 
praying Him to assist thee by His grace. Then 
make thy other morning acts of devotion, acts of 
thanksgiving and of love, prayers and resolutions to 
live that day as though it were to be the last of thy 
life. Father St. Jure recommends the making in the 
morning a compact with the Lord ; that every time 
thou makest a certain sign, as placing thy hand upon 
thy heart, or raising thy eyes to heaven or to the 
crucifix, and the like, thou shouldst thereby intend 
to make an act of love, of desire to see Him loved 
by all, of oblation of thyself, and other acts of the 
same kind. When thou hast made these acts, and 
placed thy soul in the side of Jesus and under the 
mantle of Mary, and have prayed the Eternal Father 
that for the love of Jesus and Mary He would pro- 
tect thee during the day, be careful, before thou en- 
gage in anything else, to make thy mental prayer, or 
meditation, at least for half an hour; and let thy 
specially chosen meditation be the sorrow and the 
shame which Jesus Christ suffered in His Passion. 
This is the dearest subject to loving souls, and the 
one which most kindles Divine love within them. 




9 8 



Daily Exercises, 



If thou wouldst make spiritual progress, let three 
devotions be especially dear to thee : devotion to the 
Passion of Jesus Christ, to the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, and to the ever-blessed Virgin. In mental 
prayer, make again and again acts of contrition, 
of love to God, and oblation of yourself. The 
Venerable Father Charles Caraffa, founder of the 
Pious Oratories, said that one fervent act of the 
love of God made thus in the morning was sufficient 
to maintain the soul in fervor throughout the whole 
day. 

Then, besides the more specific acts of devotion, 
such as confession, communion, recitation of the 
divine office, etc., whenever thou art engaged in ex- 
ternal occupations, as in study, in labor, or in any 
other employment that may be proper to thy condi- 
tion, never forget, when setting about it, to make an 
offering of it to God, praying for His assistance to 
enable thee to perform it in a perfect manner; and 
do not omit to retire frequently into the cell of thy 
heart, in order to unite thyself with God, according 
to the practice of St. Catherine of Siena. In short, 
whatever thou doest, do it with and for God. In 
going out of thy room or house, and on returning 
again, always commend thyself to the Divine 
Mother, by saying a Hail Mary. When sitting down 
to meals, make an offering to God of the disgusts or 
gratifications thou mayest find in what thou eatest 
and drinkest; and, on rising from table, return 
thanks to Him, and say: Lord, how great is Thy 
goodness to one who has offended Thee so much ! 
In the course of the day be careful to make thy spir- 
itual reading, to visit the Most Holy Sacrament and 
the most holy Mary ; and in the evening to say the 
Rosary, and to make an examination of conscience, 
together with the Christian acts of faith, hope, char- 
ity, contrition, resolutions of amendment, and of re- 
ceiving the holy sacraments during life and at the 



The Way to Converse with God. 



99 



hour of death, forming also the intention of gaining 
all the indulgences which thou canst. And again, 
on getting into bed, reflect that if thou hadst thy 
deserts, thou wouldst be lying down in the flames of 
hell; then, with the crucifix in thy arms, compose 
thyself to sleep, saying : " In peace, in the self-same, 
I will sleep and take my rest." 

And here, in passing, I would briefly point out to 
thee the many indulgences which are attached to 
various prayers 'or acts of devotion. Whence it is 
desirable for thee, in the morning, to make the in- 
tention of gaining all the indulgences in thy power 
during the day. To one who makes acts of the three 
theological virtues mentioned above, of faith, etc., 
there are granted seven years for each day; and, by 
continuing them for a month, a plenary indulgence 
may be gained, applicable also to the souls in purga- 
tory, and to himself in a?'tz'culo mortis. In like man- 
ner, for the intention of gaining also all the in- 
dulgences granted for saying the Rosary on beads 
properly blessed, the Angelas Domini three times a 
day, the Litanies of our Blessed Lady, the Salve Re- 
gina, the Ave Maria, and the Gloria Patri : for say- 
ing, " Blessed be the holy and immaculate and most 
pure conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary :" as also 
for saying, " Praised now and forever be the Most 
Holy Sacrament :" for reciting the prayer Anima 
Christi, etc., for bowing the head at the Gloria Patri, 
and at the most holy names of Jesus and Mary ; as 
also for hearing Mass ; for making half an hour's 
mental prayer ; to which, besides a partial, there is 
also a plenary indulgence attached, provided it be 
continued for a month, on condition of confession 
and communion in the course of the same ; for ge- 
nuflecting before the Most Holy Sacrament, and for 
kissing the crucifix. Always have the intention 
formed of gaining every such indulgence. 

Then, that thou mayest be able to keep thyself 



IOO 



Daily Exercises. 



ever in a state of recollection and union with God, 
as long as thou livest, and as far as may be possible, 
turn everything that thou mayest see or hear into an 
occasion for raising thy mind to God, or for taking 
a glance at eternity. For example, when thou seest 
running water, reflect that thy life is also in like 
manner running on, and carrying thee nearer and 
nearer to death. When thou seest a lamp going out 
for want of oil, reflect that thus also one day thou wilt 
have to bring thy life to its end. When thou seest 
the graves or remains of the dead, consider that thou 
also hast to become like them. When thou seest 
the great ones of this world rejoicing in their wealth 
or distinction, pity their folly, and say, For me God 
is sufficient : " Some trust in chariots, some in 
horses, but we in the name of the Lord " (Ps. xix. 8). 
Let these glory in such vanity; I will make nothing 
my glory but the grace of God, and the love of Him. 
When thou beholdest the pompous funerals or the 
fine sepulchral monuments of great folks who are 
dead, say : If these are damned, what is the good of 
this pomp of theirs to them ? When thou beholdest 
the sea in a calm or a storm, consider the difference 
which there is between a soul when in the grace and 
when out of the grace of God. When thou seest a 
tree that is withered, consider that a soul without 
God is serviceable for nothing but to be cast into fire. 
If thou ever happen to see one who has been guilty 
of some great crime, trembling with shame and fright 
in the presence of his judge, or of his father, or of 
his bishop, consider what the panic of a sinner 
will be in the presence of Christ his judge. When 
it thunders, and thou becomest alarmed, reflect 
how those miserable ones who are damned trem- 
ble, as they hear continually in hell the thun- 
ders of the Divine wrath. If thou ever seest one who 
has been condemned to suffer a painful death, and 
saying : Is there, then, no longer any means for my 



The Way to Converse with God. ioi 



escaping death ? consider what will be the despair of 
a soul when it shall be condemned to hell, as it says : 
Is there, then, no longer any means for my escaping 
from eternal ruin ? 

When thine eye rests on scenes in the country or 
along the shore, on flowers or fruits, and thou art 
delighted by the sight and scent of all, say: Behold, 
how many are the beautiful creatures which God has 
created for me in this world, in order that I may 
love Him ; and what further enjoyments does He not 
keep prepared for me in paradise ! St. Teresa used 
to say, that when she saw any beautiful hills or 
slopes, they seemed to reproach her for her own in- 
gratitude to God. And the Abbot de Ranee, founder 
of La Trappe, said that the beautiful creatures 
around him reminded him of his own obligation to 
love God. St. Augustine also said the same, crying 
out aloud : " Heaven and earth and all things tell me 
to love Thee." It is related of a certain holy man, 
that in passing through the fields he would strike 
with a little stick the flowers and plants which he 
found, saying : " Be silent ; do not reproach me any 
longer for my ingratitude to God ; I have under- 
stood you : be silent; say no more." When St. Mary 
Magdalene of Pazzi held in her hand any beautiful 
fruit or flower, she used to feel herself smitten by it 
with Divine love, saying to herself : " Behold, my 
God has thought from all eternity of creating this 
fruit, this flower, in order to give it me as a token 
of the love which He bears towards me." 

When thou seest rivers or brooks, reflect that as 
the water which thou beholdest keeps running on, 
without ever stopping, to the ocean, so ought thou 
to be ever hasting on to God, Who is thy only good. 
When thou happenest to be in a vehicle that is 
drawn by beasts of burden, say : See what labor these 
innocent animals go through for my service; and 
how much pains do I take myself in order to serve 



102 



Daily Exercises. 



and please my God ? When thou seest a little dog, 
which, for a miserable morsel of bread, is so faithful 
to its master, reflect how much greater reason thou 
hast to be faithful to God, Who has created, and pre- 
served, and provided for thee, and heaps upon thee 
so many blessings. When thou hearest the birds 
sing, say: Hearken, O my soul, to the praise which 
these little creatures are giving to their Creator; 
and what art thou doing ? Then do thou also praise 
Him with acts of love. On the other hand, when 
thou hearest the cock crow, recall to thy memory 
that there once was a time when thou also, like 
Peter, denied thy God ; and renew thy contrition 
and thy tears. So, likewise, when thou seest the 
house or place where thou bast sinned, turn thyself 
to God, and say: "The sins of my youth and my 
ignorance remember not, O Lord " (Ps. xxiv. 7). 

When thou beholdest any valleys, consider that as 
their fertility is owing to the waters which run down 
from the mountains, so from heaven do graces de- 
scend upon the souls of the humble, passing the 
proud aside. When thou seest a beautifully-orna- 
mented church, consider the beauty of a soul which, 
being in a state of grace, is a real temple of God. 
When thou beholdest the sea, consider the immens- 
ity and the greatness of God. When thou seest fire, 
or candles lighted on an altar, say : How many years 
is it since I ought to have been cast into hell to 
burn ? But since Thou, O Lord, hast not sent me 
there, make this heart of mine now to burn with 
love for Thee, as that wood or those candles burn. 
When thou lookest up at the sky, all studded with 
stars, say with St. Andrew of Avellino : " O my 
feet, you will one day have those stars beneath 
you." 

Then, in order frequently to recall to mind the 
mysteries of Our Saviour's love, when thou seest 
hay, a manger, or caves, let the Infant Jesus in the 



The Way to Converse with God. 103 



stable of Bethlehem be present to thy recollection. 
When thou seest saws, hammers, planes, or axes, re- 
member how Jesus worked, like a mere lad, in the 
shop at Nazareth. Then, if thou seest ropes, thorns, 
nails, or pieces of wood, reflect on the Passion and 
Death of our Redeemer. St. Francis of Assisi, on 
seeing a lamb, would begin to weep, saying : ' My 
Lord like a lamb was led to death for me.' Again : 
when thou seest altars, chalices, or patens, recall to 
mind the greatness of the love which Jesus Christ 
has borne us. in giving us the Most Holy Sacrament 
of the Eucharist. 

Frequently during the day make an offering of 
thyself to God, as St. Teresa used to do, saying : 
"Lord, here am I: do with me that which pleaseth 
Thee : declare to me Thy will, that I may do it for 
Thee : I wish to do it thoroughly." Then repeat, as 
often as you can, acts of love towards God. St. 
Teresa used also to say, that acts of love are the fuel 
by which holy love is to be kept on fire within the 
heart. When the Venerable Sister Seraphine of Carpi 
was one day considering that the mule belonging to 
the convent had not the power of loving God, she 
expressed her compassion for it thus : " Poor brute ; 
thou neither knowest nor canst love thy God ;" and 
the mule set her weeping so that the tears fell in 
streams from her eyes : — so likewise do thou, when 
beholding any animal which has not the capacity for 
knowing or loving God, animate thyself, who canst 
love Him, to make the more abundant acts of love. 
Whenever thou fallest into any fault, humble thyself 
for it immediately ; and, with an act of more fervent 
love, endeavor to rise again. When anything adverse 
happens, immediately make an offering to God of 
what thou hast to sutler, bringing thy will into uni- 
formity with His own; and ever accustom thyself 
under all adverse circumstances to repeat these 
words : " Thus God wills ; thus I will too," Acts of 



104 



Daily Exercises. 



resignation are the acts of love which are most pre- 
cious and acceptable to the Heart of God. 

When thou hast to decide upon anything, or to 
give any counsel of importance, first, commend thy- 
self to God, and then set about thy undertaking, or 
give thy opinion. As often as thou canst during the 
day, after the example of St. Rose of Lima, repeat 
the prayer : Deus in adjutorium meum intende : 
" Lord, come to my assistance ; do not leave me in 
my own hands." And for this end frequently turn 
to the image of the Crucified, or to that, of the most 
holy Mary, which is in thy room ; and do not omit 
to make frequent invocations of the names of Jesus 
and of Mary, especially in time of temptation. Since 
God is infinite goodness, His desire of communicat- 
ing His graces to us is perfect. The Venerable 
Father Alvarez one day saw Our Saviour with His 
hands full of graces, and going about in search of 
those to whom He might dispense them. But it is 
His will that we should ask them of Him : " Ask, 
and ye shall receive," otherwise He will draw back 
His hand ; whereas, on the contrary, He will willing- 
ly open it to those who call upon Him. And who is 
there, says the Preacher, that hath called upon Him, 
and God despised him by not granting his prayer? 
" Who hath called upon Him, and He hath despised 
Him?" (Ecclus. ii. 12.) And David tells us, that the 
Lord shows not merely mercy, but great mercy to 
those who call upon Him : " For thou, O Lord, art 
sweet and mild, and plenteous in mercy to all that 
call upon Thee" (Ps. lxxxv. 5). 

Oh, how good and bountiful is the Lord to him 
who seeks Him lovingly : " The Lord is good to the 
soul that seeks Him" (Lam. iii. 25). If he lets Him- 
self be found even by him who seeks Him not : " I 
was found by them that did not seek me" (Rom. 
x. 20), how much more willingly will He let Him- 
self be found by one who seeks Him, and seeks 



The Way to Converse with God. 105 

Him, too, in order to serve Him and to love 
Him! 

To conclude : St. Teresa says, that holy souls in 
this world have to conform themselves by love to 
what the souls of the blessed do in heaven. As the 
saints in heaven occupy themselves only with God, 
and have no other thought or joy than in His glory 
and in His love, so also must this be the case with 
thee. While thou art in this world, let God be thy 
only happiness, the only object of thy affections, the 
only end of all thy actions and desires, until thou 
comest to that eternal kingdom, where thy love 
shall be in all things perfected and completed, and 
thy desires shall be perfectly fulfilled and satisfied. 



SECOND PART. 



PIOUS EXERCISES FOR EVERY 
WEEK. 



1L Devotions for eacb 3)a$ of the 
meek 

SUNDAY. 

Consecrated to the Blessed Trinity* and to our Holy 
Patron. 

* Prayers during Mass. 

On entering the church, piously sign yourself with holy water; 
then, after having profoundly adored Jesus Christ present in the 
Blessed Sacrament, follow the Priest in saying: 

j]N the name of the Father, and of the Son, etc. 
Amen. 

Anth. I will go in to the altar of God. 
7?. To God, Who giveth joy to my youth. 
Ps. xlii. — Judge me, O God, and distinguish my 
cause from the nation that is not holy: deliver me 
from the unjust and deceitful man. 

R. For Thou art God, my strength; why hast 
Thou cast me off, and why do I go sorrowful whilst 
the enemy afflicteth me ? 

P. Send forth Thy light and Thy truth ; they 
have conducted and brought me unto Thy holy hill, 
and into Thy tabernacle. 

R. And I will go in to the altar of God , to God 
Who giveth joy to my youth. 

1 For Devotions to the Holy Trinity, see Part IV. Section I. 
106 



Ordinary of the Mass. 



107 



P. To Thee, O God, my God, I will give praise 
upon the harp ; why art Thou sad, O my soul ? and 
why dost Thou disquiet me ? 

R. Hope in God, for I will still give praise to Him, 
the salvation of my countenance and my God. 

P. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, etc. 

R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever 
shall be, world without end. Amen. 

P. I will go in to the altar of God. 

R. To God Who giveth joy to my youth. 

Here the Priest says the Conjiteor, and the people reply: 

R. May Almighty God have mercy upon thee, 
forgive thee thy sins, and bring thee to life ever- 
lasting. 

P. Amen. 

R. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary, 
ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to 
blessed John Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and 
Paul, to all the saints, and to you, Father, that I 
have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, 
through my fault, through my fault, through my 
most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed 
Mary, ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, 
blessed John Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and 
Paul, and all the saints, and you, O Father, to pray 
to the Lord our God for me. 

After the Conjiteor has been said by the people: 

P. May Almighty God have mercy on you, for- 
give you your sins, and bring you to life ever- 
lasting. 

R. Amen. 

P. May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant us 
pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins. 
R. Amen. 

P. Thou wilt turn again, O God, and quicken us. 
R. And Thy people shall rejoice in Thee. 
P. Show us, O Lord, Thy mercy. 



io8 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



R. And grant us Thy salvation. 
P. O Lord, hear my prayer. 
R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 
P. The Lord be with you. 
R. And with thy spirit. 
The Priest goes up to the altar, saying: 

jjAKE away from us our iniquities, we beseech 
Thee, O Lord ; that we maybe worthy to en- 
ter with pure minds into the Holy of Holies. 
Through Christ Jesus Our Lord. Amen. 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, by the merits of Thy 
saints, whose relics are here, and of all the saints, 
that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to forgive me all my 
sins. Amen. 

2TJ$e Barter ssietsom 

Kyrie eleison {three times). Lord have mercy on us. 

Christe eleison {three times). Christ have mercy on us. 

Kyrie eleison {three times). Lord have mercy on us. 

Afterwards, standing at the middle of the altar, extending, and 
then joining his hands, he says the 



Gloria in IZxtzlmn* 



Jpjggg'LORiA in excelsis 

ll^ol ^ eo ; et * n terra 
' k^*^ pax hominibus 

bonse voluntatis. Lauda- 
mus Te ; benedicimus Te ; 
adoramus Te; glorifica- 
mus Te. Gratias agimus 
tibi propter magnam glo- 
riam tuam, Domine De- 
ns, Rex ccelestis, Deus 
Pater omnipotens. Do- 
mine Fili unigenite Jesu 
Christe ; Domine Deus, 
Agnus Dei, Filius Patris, 
qui tollis peccata mundi, 



lory be to God on 
high, and on earth 
peace to men of 
will. We praise 
we bless Thee ; we 
Thee ; we glorify 
We give Thee 



good 
Thee ; 
adore 
Thee. 

thanks for Thy great glo- 
ry, O Lord God, heavenly 
King, God the Father 
Almighty. O Lord Jesus 
Christ, the only-begotten 
Son ; O Lord God, Lamb 
of God, Son of the Father, 
Who takest away the sins 



Ordinary of the Mass. 



109 



miserere nobis ; qui tollis 
peccata mundi, suscipe 
deprecationem nostram : 
qui sedes ad dexteram 
Patris, miserere nobis. 
Quoniam Tu solus sane- 
tus : Tu solus Dominus : 
Tu solus altissimus, Jesu 
Christe, cum Sancto Spi- 
ritu, in gloria Dei Patris. 
Amen. 



of the world, have mercy 
on us : Who takest away 
the sins of the world, re- 
ceive our prayers : Who 
sittest at the right hand 
of the Father, have mer- 
cy on us. For Thou on- 
ly art holy : Thou only 
art the Lord : Thou only, 
O Jesus Christ, with the 
Holy. Ghost, art most 
high in the glory of God 
the Father. Amen. 

drawer* 

ternal Father ! relying on the promise made 
us by Thy Divine Son, when He said : 
"Amen, amen, I say to you : if you ask the 
Father anything in My name, He will give it you." 1 
I ask of Thee, in the name of Jesus Christ, pardon of 
all my sins, the gift of Thy holy love, perseverance 
in grace, the perfect accomplishment of Thy will, 
and the happiness of being with Thee and blessing 
Thee eternally in paradise. Amen. 

\y I speak with the tongues of angels, and have 
not charity, I am become as sounding brass 
or a tinkling cymbal. And if I should have 
all faith so that I could remove mountains and have 
not charity, I am nothing. And if I should dis- 
tribute all my goods to feed the poor, and if I should 
deliver my body to be burned, and have not charity, 
it profiteth me nothing. Charity is patient, is kind. 
Charity envieth not, dealeth not perversely, is not 
puffed up, is not ambitious, seeketh not her own, is 
not provoked to anger, thinketh no evil, rejoiceth 



1 John xvi. 23. 



no Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



not in iniquity, but rejoiceth with the truth: beareth 
all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, en- 
dureth all things. Charity never falleth away. 1 

S]esus taught His disciples, saying to them : 
Blessed are the poor in spirit : for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the 
meek, for they shall possess the land. Blessed are 
they that mourn, for they shall be comforted. 
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, 
for they shall have their fill. Blessed are the merci- 
ful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the 
clean of heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are 
the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children 
of God. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for 
justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and perse- 
cute you, and speak all that is evil against you, un- 
truly, for my sake : be glad and rejoice, for great is 
your reward in heaven. 2 

@Tije Wcnte €:reetr* 
jlREDO in unum De- 
um, Pat rem om- 
nipotentem, fac- 
torem cceli et terrae, 
visibilium omnium et in- 
visibilium. 

Et in unum Dominum 
Jesum Christum Filium 
Dei unigenitum ; et ex 
Patre natum ante om- 
nia saecula. Deum de 
Deo; Lumen de Lumine; 
Deum verum de Deo ve- 
ro ; genitum non factum ; 



believe in one 
God, the Father 
Almighty, Maker 
of heaven and earth, and 
of all things visible and 
invisible. 

And in one Lord Jesus 
Christ, the only begotten 
Son of God, born of the 
Father before all ages. 
God of God ; Light of 
Light ; true God of true 
God ; begotten not made, 
consubstantial with the 



1 1 Cor. xiii. i. 



2 Matt. v. 



OrHinary of the Mass. 



in 



consubstantialem Patri, 
per quern omnia facta 
sunt. Qui propter nos 
homines, et propter nos- 
tram salutem, descendit 
de ccelis, et incarnatus 
est de Spiritu Sancto, ex 
Maria Virgine, et ho- 
mo FACTUS EST. Cru- 
cifixus etiam pro nobis 
sub Pontio Pilato, passus 
et sepultus est. Et re- 
surrexit tertia die secun- 
dum Scripturas. Et as- 
cendit in ccelum, sedet ad 
dexteram Patris. Et ite- 
rum venturus est cum 
gloria judicare vivos et 
mortuos ; cujus regni non 
erit finis. 



Et in Spiritum Sanc- 
tum, Dominum et vivi- 
ficantem, qui ex Patre 
Filioque procedit : qui 
cum Patre et Filio simul 
adoratur, et conglorifi- 
catur : qui locutus est 
per prophetas. Et unam 
sanctam Catholicam et 
Apostolicam Ecclesiam. 
Confiteor unum Baptis- 
ma in remissionem pec- 
catorum. Et expecto re- 
surrectionem mortuorem, 
et vitam venturi saeculi. 
Amen, 



Father, by Whom all 
things were made. Who 
for us men, and for our 
salvation, came down 
from heaven, and was in- 
carnate by the Holy 
Ghost of the Virgin Ma- 
ry, AND WAS MADE 
man. He was crucified 
also for us, suffered un- 
der Pontius Pilate, and 
was buried. The third 
day He rose again ac- 
cording to the Scriptures. 
And ascended into heav- 
*en, sitteth at the right 
hand of the Father, and 
He shall come again with 
glory to judge both the 
living and the dead : of 
Whose kingdom there 
shall be no end. 

And in the Holy Ghost, 
the Lord and Life-giver, 
Who proceedeth from the 
Father and the Son : 
Who, together with the 
Father and the Son, is 
adoredandglorified : Who 
spoke by the prophets. 
And one holy Catholic 
and Apostolic Church. I 
confess one baptism for 
the remission of sins. 
And I look to the resur- 
rection of the dead, and 
the life of the world to 
come. Amen. 



1 1 2 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



While the Priest offers the Host: 

j]CCEPT, O holy Father, almighty, eternal God, 
this immaculate Host, which I, Thy un- 
worthy servant, offer unto Thee, my living 
and true God, for my innumerable sins, offences, and 
negligences, and for all here present ; as also for all 
faithful Christians, both living and dead, that it may 
be profitable for my own and for their salvation unto 
life eternal. Amen. 

The Priest puts wine and water into the chalice : 

God, Who in creating human nature didst 
wonderfully dignify it, and hast still more 
wonderfully renewed it ; grant that, by the 
mystery of this water and wine, we may be made 
partakers of His divinity Who vouchsafed to become 
partaker of our humanity, Jesus Christ, Thy Son, 
Our Lord ; Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in 
the unity of, etc. 

Whilst the Priest offers the chalice : 

E offer unto Thee, O Lord, the chalice of sal- 
vation, beseeching Thy clemency, that, in the 
sight of Thy divine Majesty, it may ascend 
with the odor of sweetness, for our salvation, and 
for that of the whole world. Amen. 

In the spirit of humility, and with a contrite heart, 
let us be received by Thee, O Lord ; and grant that 
the sacrifice we offer in Thy sight this day may be 
pleasing to Thee, O Lord God. 

The Priest washes his fingers : 

will wash my hands amongst the innocent; 
and will compass Thy altar, O Lord. 
That I may hear the voice of Thy praise ; 
and tell all Thy wondrous, works,, 



Ordinary of the Mass, 



The beauty of Thy house I have loved, O Lord ; 
and the place where Thy glory dwelleth. 

Take not away my soul with the wicked ; nor my 
life with bloody men. 

In whose hands are iniquities ; their right hand 
is filled with gifts. 

But I have walked in my innocence : redeem me, 
and have mercy on me. 

My foot has stood in the direct way ; in the 
churches I will bless Thee, O Lord. 

Glory be to the Father, etc. 

When the Priest bows down: 

feVj^JlECElVE, O Holy Trinity, this oblation, which 
n fffffj we make to Thee, in memory of the Passion, 
Resurrection, and Ascension of Our Lord 
Jesus Christ, and in honor of the Blessed Mary ever 
Virgin, of Blessed John Baptist, the holy apostles 
Peter and Paul, of these and of all the saints : that 
it may be available to their honor and our salvation : 
and may 'they vouchsafe to intercede for us in 
heaven, whose memory we celebrate on earth. 
Through, etc. 

The Priest says: 

rethren, pray that my sacrifice and yours 
may be acceptable to God the Father Al- 
mighty. 

R. May the Lord receive the sacrifice from thy 
hands, to the praise and glory of His Name, to our 
benefit, and to that of all His holy Church. 




ere dignum et jus- 
tu m est, aequum et 
salutare, nos tibi 



T is truly meet and 
just, right and 
1 salutary, that we 
semper et ubique gratias should always, and in all 



ii4 Pious Exercises for Every Week, 



agere, Domine sancte Pa- 
ter omnipotens, seterne 
Deus, per Christum I Jo- 
mi num nostrum : per 
quern majestatem tuam 
laudant angeli, adorant 
Dominationes, tremunt 
Potestates ; Coeli ccelo- 
rumque Virtutes, ac bea- 
ta Seraphim, socia exsul- 
tatione concelebrant; 
cum quibus et nostras 
voces ut admitti jubeas 
deprecamur, supplici con- 
fessione dicentes : 



Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanc- 
tus, Dominus Deus Saba- 
oth. Pleni sunt cceli et 
terra gloria tua. Hosanna 
in excelsis ! Benedictus 
qui venit in nomine Do- 
mini ! Hosanna in excel- 
sis ! 



places, give thanks to 
Thee, O holy Lord, 
Father Almighty, Eternal 
God. Through Christ Our 
Lord; through Whom 
the angels praise Thy 
Majesty, the dominations 
adore, the powers do hold 
in awe, the heavens, and 
the virtues of the heav- 
ens, and the blessed sera- 
phim, do celebrate with 
united joy. In union with 
whom, we beseech Thee 
that Thou wouldst com- 
mand our voices also to 
be admitted with suppli- 
ant confession, saying: 
Holy, holy, holy, Lord 
God of Sabaoth. Heaven 
and earth are full of Thy 
glory. Hosanna in the 
highest! Blessed is He 
that cometh in the name 
of the Lord ! Hosanna 
in the highest ! 



IBunttQ tf)c <&mon. 

WWWi\ E therefore humbly pray and beseech Thee, 
mlym most merciful Father, through Jesus Christ 
Pal&a i Thy Son, Our Lord [he kisses the altar], that 
Thou wouldst vouchsafe to accept and bless these 
gifts, these presents, these holy unspotted sacrifices, 
which, in the first place, we offer Thee for Thy holy 
Catholic Church, to which vouchsafe to grant 
peace : as also to protect, unite and govern it 



Ordinary of the Mass. 



throughout the world, together with Thy servant N. 
our Pope, N. our Bishop, as also all orthodox be- 
lievers and professors of the Catholic and Apostolic 
Faith. 

We also recommend to Thee, Lord, all those whom 
justice, gratitude, and charity oblige us to pray for ; 
all those here present, particularly M. or N. And 
in order, dear Lord, that our homage may be the 
more agreeable to Thee, we unite it with that of the 
glorious Mary, ever Virgin, Mother of Our Lord Je- 
sus Christ, and with that of all the apostles, mar- 
tyrs, and saints who have lived and died in this holy 
Faith which we profess, and this only Church in 
which we live. 

My God, why have I not, at this moment, the in- 
flamed desires with which the holy patriarchs desired 
the coming of the Messias ! Why have I not their 
faith and love ! Come, Lord Jesus, come, beloved 
Redeemer of the world, come and accomplish that 
mystery which is the sum of all Thy marvels. He is 
coming, the Lamb of God ; behold the adorable Vic- 
tim by Whom the sins of the whole world are 
effaced. 



fSlebatiott of tfje ?^ost» 

IJternal Father, I now offer Thee all the vir- 
tues, the actions, the affections, of the Heart 
of Thy dear Jesus. Accept them, and by 
His merits, which are all mine— for He has given 
them to me, — grant me the graces which Jesus asks 
Thee for me. With these merits I thank Thee for 
the many mercies which Thou hast shown me ; with 
these I satisfy for what I owe Thee for my sins ; 
through these I hope for every grace from Thee, — 
pardon, perseverance, paradise, and, above all, the 
crowning gift of Thy pure love. 



u6 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Hlebatton of tfje GfynXitz* 

RECIOUS Blood of Jesus, wash my soul from 
all stains. Pure Heart of my Jesus, purify 
me. Heart most humble, teach me Thy 
humility. Sweet Heart, communicate to me Thy 
sweetness.- Most merciful Heart, have compassion 
on me. Most loving Heart, inflame my heart with 
love ! 

^outtnuattou of tfje <&aiton* 

j]ow great would be my malice and ingratitude 
if, after having seen what I now behold, I 
should consent to offending Thee ! My God, 
I will never forget that which is represented by this 
august ceremony. The sufferings of Thy Passion, the 
glory of Thy Resurrection, Thy Body bruised for 
us, Thy Blood shed for us, are now really present on 
this altar. 

It is now that we offer before the throne of Thy 
most excellent Majesty a holy, pure, and unspotted 
Victim, Whom it has pleased Thee Thyself to give 
us, and of which all others are but a figure. Yes, 
great God, we dare to say that we have here more 
than all the sacrifices of Abel, of Abraham, and of 
Melchisedech ; here lies the only Victim worthy of 
Thine altar, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, the 
only object of Thine eternal delight. 

May all those who here partake of this sacred 
Victim, either sacramentally or spiritually, be filled 
with heavenly grace and blessing ! 

Be mindful likewise, O Lord ! of Thy servants N. 
and N. who are gone before us with the sign of 
faith, and rest in the sleep of peace. Grant them, 
Lord, in virtue of this sacrifice, an entire deliverance 
from their pains. 

And grant to us also, we beseech Thee, the same 
grace when our hour shall come, Father of infinite 



Ordinary of the Mass. 



117 



goodness ! And grant us part and fellowship with 
Thy holy apostles and martyrs, and with all Thy 
saints, so that, with them, we may love Thee and 
glorify Thee to all eternity. 

IBater Noster* 




ater noster, qui es 
in ccelis, sancti- 
ficetur n o m e n 



tuum : adveniat regnum 
tuum ; fiat voluntas tua 
sicut in coelo et in terra. 
Panem nostrum, quotidi- 
anum da nobis hodie : et 
dimitte nobis debita nos- 
tra, sicut et nos dimitti- 
mus debitoribus nostris. 
Et ne nos inducas in ten- 
tationem. 

Sed libera nos a malo. 



UR Father, Who 
art in heaven, 
hallowed be Thy 
name ; Thy kingdom 
come ; Thy will be done 
on earth as it is in heav- 
en. Give us this day our 
daily bread ; and forgive 
us our trespasses as we 
forgive those who tres- 
pass against us : and lead 
us not into temptation. 

But deliver us from evil. 




"Ieliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all 
evils, past, present, and to come ; and by the 

1 intercession of the blessed and glorious Mary 

ever Virgin, Mother of God, together with Thy 
blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and Andrew and 
all the saints {making the sign of the cross on him- 
self with the paten, he kisses it, a?id says], mercifully 
grant peace in our days ; that by the assistance of 
Thy mercy we may be always free from sin, and se- 
cure from all disturbance. Through the same Jesus 
Christ Thy Son Our Lord. Who with Thee in the 
unity of the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth God. 
V, World without end. R. Amen. 
May this mixture, and consecration of the body 
and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, be to us that 
receive it effectual to eternal life. Amen. 



II 8 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



jGNUS Dei, qui tol- 
lis peccata mun- 
di, miserere nobis. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis 
peccata mundi, miserere 
nobis. 

Agnus Dei, qui tollis 
peccata mundi, dona no- 
bis pacem. 



amb of God, Who 
takest away the 
sins of the world, 
have mercy on us. 

Lamb of God, Who 
takest awa}^ the sins of 
the world, have mercy on 
us. 

Lamb of God, Who 
takest away the sins of 
the world, grant us Thy 
peace. 



■ ord Jesus Christ, Who saidst to Thy apostles, 
My peace I leave you, regard not my sins, 
but the faith of Thy Church ; and grant her 
that peace and unity which is agreeable to Thy will : 
Who livest, etc. Amen. 

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, Who, 
according to the will of Thy Father, through the co- 
operation of the Holy Ghost, ^hast, by Thy death, 
given life to the world: deliver me by this Thy most 
sacred Body and Blood from all my iniquities, and 
from all evils : make me always adhere to Thy com- 
mandments, and never suffer me to be separated 
from, Thee : Who livest and reignest with God, the 
Father, in the unity of, etc. Amen. 

Let not the participation of Thy Body.O Lord Jesus 
Christ, which I, though unworthy, presume to re- 
ceive, turn to my judgment and condemnation : but 
through Thy mercy, may it be a safeguard and rem- 
edy both of soul and body. Who with God the 
Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, livest and 
reignest one God, forever and ever. Amen, 



Ordinary of the Mass 



119 



JBotnint, new sum Wiquus. 



|]ORD, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter 
under my roof : say but the word, and my 
soul shall be healed. {Three times.~\ 



get for a Spiritual Communion* 

ragTHY Jesus, I believe that Thou art truly present 
JfOv]| in the Most Blessed Sacrament. I love 
WSm Thee above all things, and I desire to pos- 
sess Thee within my soul. Since I am unable now 
to receive Thee sacramentally, come at least spirit- 
ually into my heart. I embrace Thee as being al- 
ready there, and unite myself wholly to Thee ; never 
permit me to be separated from Thee. 

How sweet would it be, O my God ! were I of the 
number of those whose sanctity allows them to 
receive Thee daily ! What an advantage, could I, 
at this moment, possess Thee in my heart, there pay 
Thee my homage, lay open to Thee my wants, and 
share in the favors which Thou grantest to those 
who receive Thee sacramentally. But since I am 
unworthy, do Thou, O Lord ! supply my want of 
preparation. Pardon me my sins; I sovereignly 
detest them, because they are displeasing to Thee. 
Accept my ardent wish to be united to Thee ; cast 
Thine eye upon me, and purify my soul, that I may 
soon be fit to receive Thee worthily. But until the 
arrival of this happy day, I earnestly entreat Thee, 
O dearest Lord ! to make me a sharer in all the ad- 
vantages which the Communion of the Priest shall 
produce in these Thy people. Increase my faith by 
the virtue of this sacrament, strengthen my hope, 
fill my heart with love, that it may beat but for 
Thee and live for Thee alone. Amen. 



120 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



HOU hast offered Thyself, O Lord! for my sal- 
vation ; I desire to be sacrificed for Thy glo- 

1 ry. I am Thy victim, do with me as Thou 

wiliest. Whatever I have I consecrate entirely to 
Thee. Whatever crosses Thou mayest please to send 
me, I freely accept and bless ; I receive them from 
Thy hand, and unite them with those Thou hast 
endured for my sake. I am now about to leave 
Thy temple resolved, with Thy help, to serve Thee 
faithfully, I will strive to correct my faults, and 
chiefly that to which I am most inclined. Thy 
law shall thenceforth direct me, and I shall for- 
feit all, and suffer everything, rather than mortally 
transgress it. 

less, O my God, these holy resolutions; bless 
us all by the hand of Thy minister, and may 
the effects of Thy benediction remain with 
us forever. In the name of the Father, and of the 
Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 



psalms for IDespers/ 

$salm 109. IBixit Somtmis, 



Iixit Dominus Do- 
mino meo : Se- 
de a dextris meis : 
Donee ponam inimicos 
tuos : scabellum pedum 
tuorum. 



HE Lord said to my 
Lord : Sit thou 
at My right hand : 
Until I make thy ene- 
mies thy footstool. 



i There are always five Vesper Psalms, which vary according - to 
the feasts ; we here give those which are the most frequently used. 



Psahns for Vespers. 



121 



Virgam virtutis tuae 
emittet Dominus ex Sion : 
dominare in medio inimi- 
corum tuorum. 

Tecum principium in 
die virtutis tuae in splen- 
doribus Sanctorum : ex 
utero ante luciferum ge- 
nui te. 



Juravit Dominus, et 
non pcenitebit eum : Tu 
es sacerdos in aeternum 
secundum ordinem Mel- 
chisedech. 

Dominus a dextris tuis : 
cdnfregit in die irae suae 
reges. 

Judicabit in nationibus, 
implebit ruinas : conquas- 
sabit capita in terra mul- 
torum. 

De torrente in via bi- 
bet : propterea exaltabit 
caput. 



The Lord will send 
forth the sceptre of thy 
power out of Sion : rule 
thou in the midst of thy 
enemies. 

With thee is the prin- 
cipality in the day of 
thy strength, in the 
brightness of the saints : 
from the womb, before 
the day-star, I begot 
thee. 

The Lord hath sworn, 
and He will not repent : 
Thou art a priest forever 
according to the order of 
Melchisedech. 

The Lord at Thy right 
hand : hath broken kings 
in the day of His wrath. 

He shall judge amcn^ 
nations, He shall fill 
ruins : He shall crush 
the heads in the land of 
many. 

He shall drink of the 
torrent in the way : there- 
fore shall He lift up the 
head. 



$saim HO. Contotjor tVbu 



ONFITEBOR t i b i, 
Domine, in toto 
corde meo : in 
consilio justorum, et con- 
gregatione. 

Magna opera Domini : 



will praise Thee, 
O Lord, with my 
whole heart : in 
the counsel of the just, 
and in the congregation. 
Great are the works of 



122 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



exquisita in omnes volun- 
tates ejus. 

Confessio et magnifi- 
centia opus ejus : et jus- 
titia ejus manet in ssecu- 
lum sseculi. 

Memoriam fecit mira- 
bilium suorum misericors 
et miserator Dominus : 
escam dedit timentibus 
se. 

Memorerit in sseculum 
testamenti sui : virtutem 
operum suorum annunti- 
abit populo suo : 

Ut det illis hseredita- 
tem gentium : opera ma- 
nuum ejus Veritas et ju- 
dicium. 

Fidelia omnia mandata 
ejus, confirmata in ssecu- 
lum sseculi : facta in ve- 
ritate et sequitate. 

Redemptionem misit 
populo suo : mandavit in 
aeternum testamentum 
suum. 

Sanctum et terribile 
nomen ejus : initium sa- 
piential timor Domini. 

Intellectus bonus omni- 
bus facientibus eum : lau- 
datio ejus manet in ssecu- 
lum sseculi. 



the Lord : sought out ac- 
cording to all His wills. 

His work is praise, and 
magnificence : and His 
justice continueth for- 
ever and ever. 

He hath made a re- 
membrance of His won- 
derful works, being a 
merciful and gracious 
Lord : He hath given food 
to them that fear Him. 

He will be mindful for- 
ever of His covenant : 
He will show forth to 
His people the power of 
His works. 

That He may give 
them the inheritance of 
the Gentiles ; the works 
of His hands are truth 
and judgment. 

All His command- 
ments are faithful ; con- 
firmed forever and ever : 
made in truth and equity. 

He hath sent redemp- 
tion to His people : He 
hath commanded His 
covenant forever. 

Holy and terrible is 
His name : the fear of 
the Lord is the begin- 
ning of wisdom. 

A good understanding 
to all that do it : His 
praise continueth for- 
ever and ever. 



Psahns for Vespers. 



123 



lasalm ill. Meatus btr. 



Meatus vir, qui ti- 
met Dominum: 
in mandatis ejus 
volet nimis. 

Potens in terra erit se- 
men ejus : generatio rec- 
torum benedicetur. 

Gloria et divitise in do- 
mo ejus : et justitia ejus 
manet in saeculum saeculi. 

Exortum est in tenebris 
lumen rectis : misericors, 
et miserator, et justus. 



Jucundus homo qui 
miseretur et commodat, 
disponet sermones suos 
in judicio : quia in aeter- 
num non commovebitur. 

In memoria aeterna erit 
justus : ab auditione ma- 
la non timebit. 

Paratum cor ejus spe- 
rare in Domino, confir- 
matum est cor ejus : non 
commovebitur donee de- 
spiciat inimicos suos. 

Dispersit, dedit paupe- 
ribus ; justitia ejus manet 



lessed is the man 
that feareth the 
Lord : he shall 
delight exeedingly in His 
commandments. 

His seed shall be 
mighty upon earth ; the 
generation of the right- 
eous shall be blessed. 

Glory and wealth shall 
be in his house : and his 
justice remaineth for- 
ever and ever. 

To the righteous a light 
is risen up in dark- 
ness : He is merciful, 
and compassionate, and 
just. 

Acceptable is the man 
that showeth mercy and 
lendeth, he shall order 
his words with judgment : 
because he shall not be 
moved forever. 

The just shall be in 
everlasting remembrance: 
he shall not fear the evil 
hearing. 

His heart is ready to 
hope in the Lord ; his 
heart is strengthened : 
he shall not be moved 
until he look over his 
enemies. 

He hath distributed, 
he hath given to the 



124 Pious Exercises for Every Week, 



in saeculum saeculi : cornu 
ejus exaltabitur in gloria. 



Peccator videbit, et ira- 
scetur, dentibus suis fre- 
met et tabescet : deside- 
rium peccatorum peribit. 



poor; his justice re- 
main eth forever and 
ever : his horn shall be 
exalted in glory. 

The wicked shall see, 
and shall be angry; he 
shall gnash with his 
teeth and pine away : the 
desire of the wicked shall 
perish. 



33s aim 112. Hautrate jmeru 



jjAUDATE, pueri, Do- 
mi num : laudate 
nomen Domini. 

Sit nomen Domini be- 
nedictum : ex hoc nunc, 
et usque in saeculum. 

A solis ortu usque ad 
occasum : laudabile no- 
men Domini. 



Excelsus super omnes 
gentes Dominus : et su- 
per ccelos gloria ejus. 

Quis sicut Dominus 
Deus noster, qui in altis 
habitat : et humilia re- 
spicit in ccelo et in terra ? 

Suscitans a terra ino- 
pem : et de stercore eri- 
gens pauperem : 

Ut collocet eum cum 



raise the Lord, ye 
children : praise 
ye the name of 
the Lord. 

Blessed be the name of 
the Lord ; from hence- 
forth now and forever. 

From the rising of the 
sun unto the going down 
of the same : the name of 
the Lord is worthy of 
praise. 

The Lord is high above 
all nations : and His glory 
above the heavens. 

Who is as the Lord our 
God, Who dwelleth on 
high : and looketh down 
on the low things in 
heaven and in earth ? 

Raising up the needy 
from the earth : and lift- 
ing up the poor out of 
the dung-hill : 
That He may place 



Psalms for Vespers. 



125 



principibus : cum princi- 
pibus populi sui. 

Qui habitare facit ste- 
rilem in domo : matrem 
filiorum laetantem. 



him with princes : with 
the princes of His people. 

Who maketh the bar- 
ren woman to dwell in a 
house : the joyful mother 
of children. 



$sa!m 113. En mtu EsraeL 



Rn exitu Israel de 
^Egypto : domus 
Jacob de populo 
barbaro. 

Facta est Judaea sancti- 
ficatio ejus : Israel potes- 
tas ejus. 

Mare vidit, et fugit : 
Jordanis conversus est 
retrorsum. 

Montes exultaverunt ut 
arietes : et colles sicut 
agni ovium. 

Quid est tibi, mare, 
quod fugisti : et tu Jorda- 
nis, quia conversus es 
retrorsum? 

Montes exultastis sicut 
arietes : et colles sicut 
agni ovium ? 

A facie Domini mota 
est terra : a facie Dei Ja- 
cob. 

Qui convertit petram 
in stagna aquarum : et 



hen Israel went 
out of Egypt : the 
house of Jacob 
from a barbarous people. 

Judea was made his 
sanctuary : Israel his do 
minion. 

The sea saw, and fled : 
Jordan was turned back. 

The mountains skipped 
like rams : and the hills 
like the lambs of the 
flock. 

What ailed thee, O 
thou sea, that thou didst 
flee : and thou, O Jordan, 
that thou wast turned 
back ? 

Ye mountains, that ye 
skipped like rams : and 
ye hills, like lambs of the 
flock ? 

At the presence of the 
Lord the earth was 
moved : at the presence 
of the God of Jacob. 

Who turned the rock 
into pools of water : and 



126 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



rupem in fontes aqua- 
rum. 

Non nobis, Domine, 
non nobis : sed nomini 
tuo da gloriam. 

Super misericordiatua, 
et veritate tua : nequan- 
do dicant gentes, Ubi est 
Deus eorum ? 

Deus autem noster in 
coelo : omnia quaecumque 
voluit, fecit. 

Simulacra gentium ar- 
gentum et aurum : opera 
manuum hominum. 

Os habent, et non lo- 
quentur : oculos habent, 
et non videbunt. 

Aures habent, et non 
audient : nares habent, et 
non odorabunt. 

Manus habent, et non 
palpabunt ; pedes habent, 
et non ambulabunt : non 
clamabunt in gutture suo. 

Similes illis fiant qui 
faciunt ea : et omnes qui 
confidunt in eis. 

Domus Israel speravit 
in Domino : adjutor eo- 
rum et protector eorum 
est. 

Domus Aaron speravit 
in Domino ; adjutor eo- 



the stony hill into foun- 
tains of waters. 

Not to us, O Lord, not 
to us : but to Thy name 
give glory. 

For Thy mercy and for 
Thy truth's sake : lest the 
Gentiles should say, 
Where is their God ? 

But our God is in heav- 
en : He hath done all 
things whatsoever He 
would. 

The idols of the Gen- 
tiles are silver and gold : 
the works of the hands 
of men. 

They have mouths, 
and speak not : they have 
eyes, and see not. 

They have ears, and 
hear not : they have 
noses, and smell not. 

They have hands, and 
feel not ; they have feet, 
and walk not : neither 
shall they cry .out through 
their throat. 

Let them that make 
them become like unto 
them : and all such as 
trust in them. 

The house of Israel 
hath hoped in the Lord : 
He is their helper and 
their protector. 

The house of Aaron 
hath hoped in the Lord : 



Psalms for Vespers. 



127 



rum et protector eorum 
est. 

Qui timent Dominum, 
speraverunt in Domino : 
adjutor eorum et protec- 
tor eorum est. 

Dominus memor fuit 
nostri : et benedixit no- 
bis. 

Benedixit domui Is- 
rael : benedixit domui 
Aaron. 

Benedixit omnibus, qui 
timent Dominum : pusil- 
lis cum majoribus. 

Adjiciat Dominus su- 
per vos : super vos, et su- 
per filios vestros. 

Benedicti vos a Domi- 
no : qui fecit ccelum et 
terram. 

Ccelum cceli Domino : 
terram autem dedit filiis 
hominum. 

Non mortui laudabunt 
te, Domine : neque om- 
nes qui descendunt in in- 
fernum. 

Sed nos qui vivimus, 
benedicimus Domino: ex 
hoc nunc et usque in sae- 
culum. 



He is their helper and 
their protector. 

They that fear the 
Lord have hoped in the 
Lord : He is their helper 
and their protector. 

The Lord hath been 
mindful of us : and hath 
blessed us. 

He hath blessed the 
house of Israel : He hath 
blessed the house of 
Aaron. 

He hath bessed all that 
fear the Lord : both little 
and great. 

May the Lord add 
blessings upon you : upon 
you, and upon your chil- 
dren. 

Blessed be you of the 
Lord : Who made heaven 
and earth. 

The heaven of heaven 
is the Lord's : but the 
earth He has given to 
the children of men. 

The dead shall not 
praise Thee, O Lord : nor 
any of them that go down 
to hell. 

But we that live, bless 
the Lord : from this time 
now and forever. 



128 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



$salm 116. 3Lautrate ISomtntttn* 



flAUDATE Dominum, 
omnes g e n t e s : 
laudate eum, om- 
nes populi : 

Quoniam confirmata 
est super nos misericor- 
dia ejus : et Veritas Do- 
mini manet in aeternum. 



praise the Lord, 
all ye nations : 
praise Him, all ye 
peoples : 

For His mercy is con- 
firmed upon us : and the 
truth of the Lord remain- 
eth forever. 



$8alra 121. SLaetatus sum* 

U/ETATUS sum in his 
quae dicta sunt 



mihi : In domum 
Domini ibimus. 

Stantes erant pedes 
nostri : in atriis tuis, 
Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem, quae aedifi- 
catur ut civitas : cujus 
participatio ejus in idip- 
sum. 

Illuc enim ascenderunt 
tribus, tribus Domini : 
testimonium Israel ad 
confitendum nomini Do- 
mini. 

Quia illic sederunt se- 
des in judicio : sedes 
super domum David. 

Rogate quae ad pacem 
sunt Jerusalem : et 
abundantia diligentibus 
te. 



rejoiced at the 
things that were 
said to me : We 
shall go into the house of 
the Lord. 

Our feet were standing : 
in thy courts, O Jerusa- 
lem. 

Jerusalem, which is 
built as a city : which is 
compact together. 

For thither did the 
tribes go up, the tribes of 
the Lord : the testimony 
of Israel, to praise the 
name of the Lord. 

Because their seats 
have sat in judgment : 
seats upon the house of 
David. 

Pray ye for the things 
that are for the peace of 
Jerusalem : and abun- 
dance for them that love 
thee. 



Psalms for Vespers. 



129 



Fiat pax in virtute 
tua : et abundantia in 
turribus tuis. 

Propter fratres meos et 
proximos meos : loque- 
bar pacem de te. 

Propter domum Domi- 
ni Dei nostri : quaesivi 
bona tibi. 



Let peace be in thy 
strength : and abundance 
in thy towers. 

For the sake of my 
brethren and of my neigh- 
bors : I spoke peace of 
thee. 

Because of the house of 
the Lord our God : I have 
sought good things for 
thee. 



Jtealm 126. Ktst JBominuB. 



JiSi Dominus aedifi- 
caverit domum : 
in vanum labora- 
verunt qui aedificant earn. 

Nisi Dominus custodi- 
erit civitatem : frustra 
vigilat qui custodit earn. 

Vanum est vobis ante 
lucem surgere : surgite 
postquam sederitis, qui 
mariducatis panem dolo- 
ris. 

Cum dederit dilectis 
suis somnum : ecce hse- 
reditas Domini filii, mer- 
ces fructus ventris. 



Sicut sagittse in manu 
potentis : ita filii excus- 
sorum. 

Beatus vir qui implevit 
desiderium suum ex 



Ixcept the Lord 
build the house : 
they labor in vain 
that build it. 

Except the Lord keep 
the city : he watcheth in 
vain that keepeth it. 

It is in vain for you to 
rise before light : rise ye 
after you have sitten, you 
that eat the bread of 
sorrow. 

When He shall give 
sleep to His beloved : be- 
hold, children are the in- 
heritance of the Lord, 
their reward, the fruit of 
the womb. 

As arrows in the hand 
of the mighty : so the 
children of them that 
have been shaken. 

Blessed is the man that 
hath filled his desire with 



13° 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



ipsis : non confundetur, 
cum loquetur inimicis suis 
in porta. 



them : he shall not be 
confounded, when he 
shall speak to his enemies 
in the gate. 



JPsalm 131. i&emento, IBatnint. 



jlEMENTO, Domine, 
David : et omnis 
mansuetud inis 
ejus. 

Sicut juravit Domino : 
votum vovit Deo Jacob : 

Si introiero in taber- 
naculum domus meae : si 
ascendero in lectum strati 
mei : 

Si dedero somnum ocu- 
lis meis : et palpebris meis 
dormitationem, 

Et requiem temporibus 
meis : donee inveniam 
locum Domino, taberna- 
culum Deo Jacob. 

Ecce audivimus earn in 
Ephrata : invenimus earn 
in campis silvae. 

Introibimus in taberna- 
culum ejus : adorabimus 
in loco, ubi steterunt pe- 
des ejus. 

Surge, Domine, in re- 
quiem tuam : tu et area 
sanctificationis tuae. 

Sacerdotes tui induan- 



Lord, remember 
David : and all 
his meekness. 



How he swore to the 
Lord : he vowed a vow 
to the God of Jacob : 

If I shall enter into the 
tabernacle of my house : 
if I shall go up into the 
bed wherein I lie : 

If I shall give sleep to 
my eyes : or slumber to 
my eyelids, 

Or rest to my temples : 
until I find out a place 
for the Lord, a tabernacle 
for the God of Jacob. 

Behold, we have heard 
of it in Ephrata : we have 
found it in the fields of 
the wood. 

We will go into His tab- 
ernacle : we will adore in 
the place where His feet 
stood. 

Arise, O Lord, into Thy 
resting-place : Thou and 
the ark which Thou hast 
sanctified. 

Let Thy priests be 



Psalms for Vespers. 



131 



tur justitiam: et sancti 
tui exultent. 

Propter David servum 
tuum : non avertas faciem 
Christi tui. 

Juravit Dominus David 
veritatem, et non frustra- 
bituream : De fructu ven- 
tris tui ponam super se- 
dem tuam. 

S^custodierint filii tui 
testamentum meum : et 
testimonia mea haec quae 
docebo eos : 

Et filii eorum usque in 
saeculum : sedebunt super 
sedem tuam. 

Ouoniam elegit Domi- 
nus Sion : elegit earn in 
habitationem sibi. 

Haec requies mea in sae- 
culum saeculi : hie habi- 
tabo, quoniam elegi earn. 

Viduam ejus benedicens 
benedicam : pauperes ejus 
saturabo panibus. 

Sacerdotes ejus induam 
sal atari : et sancti ejus ex- 
ultatione exultabunt. 

Illuc producam cornu 
David : paravi lucernam 
Christo meo. 

Inimicos ejus induam 
confusione : super ipsum 
autem efflorebit sanctifi- 
catio mea. 



clothed with justice : and 
let Thy saints rejoice. 

For Thy servant Da- 
vid's sake : turn not away 
the face of Thy anointed. 

The Lord hath sworn 
truth to David, and He 
will not make it void : 
Of the fruit of thy womb 
I will set up on thy throne. 

If thy children will keep 
My covenant : and these 
My testimonies which I 
shall teach them : 

Their children also for 
evermore : shall sit upon 
thy throne. 

For the Lord hath 
chosen Sion: He hath 
chosen it for His dwelling. 

This is My rest forever 
and ever : here will I 
dwell, for I have chosen it. 

Blessing, I will bless her 
widow : I will satisfy her 
poor with bread. 

I will clothe her priests 
with salvation : and her 
saints shall rejoice with 
exceeding great joy. 

There will I bring forth 
a horn to David : I have 
prepared a lamp for My 
anointed. 

His enemies I will 
clothe with confusion : 
but upon him shall My 
sanctification flourish. 



132 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



$salra 147. SLawtra Jerusalem. 



jjAUDA Jerusalem 
Dominum : lauda 
Deum tiium, 
Sion. 

Quoniam confortavit 
seras port arum tuarum : 
benedixit filiis tuis in te. 



Qui posuit fines tuos 
pacem : et adipe frumenti 
satiat te. 

Qui emittit eloquium 
suum terrae : velociter 
currit sermo ejus. 

Qui dat nivem sicut 
lanam : nebulam sicut 
cineram spargit. 

Mittit crystallum suum 
sicut buccellas : ante fa- 
ciem frigoris ejus quis 
sustinebit ? 

Emittet verbum suum, 
et liquefaciet ea : flabit 
spiritus ejus, et fluent 
aquae. 

Qui annuntiat verbum 
suum Jacob : justitias et 
judicia sua Israel. 

Non fecit taliter omni 
nationi: et judicia sua 
non manifestavit eis. 



raise the Lord, O 
Jerusalem : praise 
thy God, O Sion. 



Because He hath 
strengthened the bolts 
of thy gates : He hath 
blessed thy children with- 
in thee. 

Who hath placed peace 
in thy borders : and fill- 
eth thee with the fat of 
corn. 

Who sendeth forth His 
speech to the earth : His 
word runneth swiftly. 

Who giveth snow like 
wool : scattereth mist like 
ashes. 

He sendeth his ice like 
morsels : who shall stand 
before His cold ? 

He shall send out His 
word, and shall melt 
them : His wind shall 
blow, and the waters shall 
run. 

Who declareth His 
word to Jacob : His jus- 
tices, and His judgments 
to Israel. 

He hath not done in 
like manner to every na- 
tion : and His judgments 
He hath not made mani- 
fest to them. 



The Magnificat. 



133 



|wji|AGNiFiCAT : anima 
Sf$|h mea Dominum. 
^"^1 E t exultavit 
spiritus meus ; in Deo 
salutari meo. 

Quia respexit humilita- 
tem ancillae suae : ecce 
enim ex hoc beatam me 
dicent omnes generatio- 
nes. 

Quia fecit mihi magna 
qui potens est : et sanc- 
tum nomen ejus. 

Et misericordia ejus a 
progenie in progenies : ti- 
mentibus eum. 

Fecit potentiam in bra- 
chio suo : dispersit super- 
bos mente cordis sui. 

Deposuit potentes de 
sede : et exaltavit humi- 
les. 

Esurientes implevit bo- 
nis : et divites dimisit 
inanes. 

Suscepit Israel puerum 
suum : recordatus mise- 
ricordiae suae. 

Sicut locutus est ad 



pw»a| v soul doth magni- 
|vBj| fy the Lord. 
™« 1 And my spirit 
hath rejoiced : in God 
my Saviour. 

Because He hath re- 
garded the lowliness of 
His handmaid : for be- 
hold from henceforth all 
generations shall call me 
blessed. 

Because He that is 
mighty hath done great 
things to me : and holy 
is His name. 

And His mercy is from 
generation unto genera- 
tion : unto them that 
fear Him. 

He hath showed might 
in His arm : He hath 
scattered the proud in 
the conceit of their heart. 

He hath put down the 
mighty from their seat, 
and hath exalted the 
humble. 

He hath filled the hun- 
gry with good things : 
and the rich He hath 
sent empty away. 

He hath received Is- 
rael His servant : being 
mindful of His mercy. 

As He spoke to our 



134 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



patres nostros : Abra- fathers : to Abraham and 
ham, et semini ejus in to his seed forever, 
ssecula. 



■ alve, Regina, ma- 
ter misericordiae : 

Vita, dulcedo, et spes 
nostra, salve. 

Ad te clamamus, exu- 
les filii Hevae; 

Ad te suspiramus, ge- 
mentes et flentes in hac 
lacrymarum valle. 

Eia ergo, Advocata no- 
stra. 

Illos tuos misericordes 
oculos ad nos convene ; 

Et Jesum, benedictum 
fructum ventris tui, 

Nobis post hoc exilium 
ostende, 

O clemens, O pia, O 
dulcis Virgo Maria. 




other of mercy, 
hail, O gentle 
Queen ! 



Our life, our sweetness, 
and our hope, all hail ! 
Children of Eve, 
To thee we cry from our 
sad banishment; 
To thee we send our 
sighs, 

Weeping and mourning 
in this tearful vale. 
Come, then, our Advo- 
cate ; 

Oh, turn on us those pity- 
ing eyes of thine : 

And our long exile past, 
Show us at last 
Jesus, of thy pure womb 
the fruit divine. 

O Virgin Mary, mother 
blest ! 

O sweetest, gentlest, 
holiest ! 



To obtain the pardon of our sins. 
||ee, Mother of my God ! at thy feet a wretched 
sinner, who has recourse to thee, and puts 
his trust in thee. I am not worthy that thou 



1 An indulgence of 300 days once a day to all the faithful who, 
with a contrite heart, shall devoutly recite each prayer on the day 



Prayer to oar Holy Patron. 135 



shouldst even cast thine eyes upon me ; yet well I 
know that thou, beholding Jesus, thy Son, dying for 
sinners, dost thyself yearn to save them. O Mother 
of mercy ! look on my miseries, and have pity on 
me. Men say thou art the refuge of the sinner, the 
hope of the despairing, the aid of the abandoned : be 
thou, then, my refuge, my hope, and my aid. It is thy 
prayers which must save me. For the love of Jesus 
Christ be thou my help, reach forth thy hand to the 
poor fallen wretch who cries to thee for succor. I 
know that thy heart delights to aid the sinner 
when thou canst : help me, then, now whilst thou 
canst. My sins have forfeited the grace of God and 
my own soul. Behold me in thy hands. Oh, tell me 
what to do that I may regain my Saviour's grace, and 
lo ! I do it. He bids me go to thee for help ; He 
wills that I should seek thy tender pity's refuge, that 
so, not thy dear Son's merits only, but thine own 
prayers too, may help to save me. To thee, then, I 
have recourse ; pray thou to Jesus for me, and make 
me know and feel what thou canst do for one who 
trusts in thee. Be it done unto me according to my 
hope. Amen. Hail Mary, three times. 

draper to our jaatrom 

reat Saint , my glorious patron, I render 

thanks to God that He has crowned thee with 

' such great glory and happiness in His courts. 

But, amidst thy greatness, forget not me, miserable 
sinner that I am ; have compassion on me, for I am 
still a traveller here below, wandering in this vale of 
tears, mourning and weeping, and exposed to great 



assigned to it, with three Hail Marys in reparation of the blasphemies 
uttered against our Blessed Lady. A plenary indulgence once a 
month to all those who have daily recited the said prayers during an 
entire month, provided that, being- contrite for their sins, they go to 
confession and Communion and pray for the intention of the Pope. 
(June 2i, 1808, and June 18, 1876.) 



136 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



danger of losing my God. Take pity on me, and help 
me, and beg of Jesus to pardon all the faults of which 
I have hitherto been guilty. Beg of Him to deliver 
me from all attachment to the things of this world, 
which might prevent my loving Him, with thee, one 
day in paradise. 

MONDAY. 

Consecrated to the Holy Ghost, 1 and to the Commemora- 
tion of the Dead. 

Prayers during the Mass 

For the Souls in Purgatory. 

ffxom tljv commencement to tfje JEyistU. 

■ Ieavenly Father, prostrate before the throne 
of Thine infinite majesty, I offer Thee this 
. 1 sacrifice of the true Body and Blood of 

Thine only Son for the poor souls in purgatory ; I 
unite it to all the pains and sufferings which He 
underwent in His passion for our salvation. And 
Thou, beloved Saviour of our souls, remember what 
Thou didst suffer for us in the Garden of Olives ; 
there, at the sight of all the anguish and the igno- 
minious death on the cross that did await Thee, 
at the sight of the sins and monstrous ingratitude 
shown by men, above all at the sight of so many 
souls plunging themselves into hell by their own 
malice, without seeking to profit by the fruit of Thy 
passion, Thou didst deign, through an excess of love, 
to suffer such anguish, fear, and sadness that Thou 
didst fall into mortal agony, and didst sweat blood 
till it ran down to the very earth. I humbly beg Thee 
to offer these sufferings to the justice of Thine 
eternal Father, in union with the sacrifice of Thy 



1 See Devotions to the Holy Ghost, Part IV., Section. 3. 



Monday — Mass for the Souls in Purgatory. 137 



divine Body and precious Blood, in favor of the souls 
in purgatory : they are wailing in the flames, and are 
sighing for the happiness of seeing Thee and pos- 
sessing Thee eternally in heaven, together with the 
Father and the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

Requiem aeternam dona Eternal rest give unto 
eis. Domine ; et lux per- them. O Lord, and may 
petua luceat eis. perpetual light shine up- 

on them. 



jFronr tjr lijnstlc to tf)t (Dffrvtorin 

[ather of mercies, receive to-day. in favor of 
the souls in purgatory, the sacrifice of the 

1 true Body and Blood of Thy divine Son. in 

union with all the pains and sufferings which He 
endufed for our salvation during His Passion. He 
appears before Thee as a king of sorrows, and offers 
Thee the anguish caused to His heart by Judas's 
betrayal of Him, and that inexpressible confusion 
which He experienced on seeing Himself bound by 
cords and chains, dragged first before one tribunal, 
then before another, where He received cruel blows 
and was spat upon, where He was struck, scorned, 
trodden under foot like a worm of the earth, and 
judged worthy of death like a heathen and a blas- 
phemer. He offereth Thee all these sufferings as 
our Mediator; and I. miserable sinner as I am. 
I unite myself to Him and ask of Thee rest and peace 
for the souls in purgatory. 
Requiem, etc. 

jFront tjr £Mftrtori> to tijt Saitcttts, 

lmighty Father, Who doth ardently desire the 
salvation of men, and Who wouldst have all 
men saved and none perish, we pray Thee to 
behold Thy Son on this altar where, true victim of 
charity. He reneweth the sacrifice of the cross, by 




138 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



offering Himself for the living and the dead, so that 
all may share in Thy mercy. Heavenly Father, do Thou 
this day receive the sacrifice of His Body and His 
Blood for the souls in purgatory, and, by the merits 
of His Passion, deliver them from their state of suf- 
fering. He who is Thine eternal force and wisdom 
hath not refused, in order to expiate our follies, for 
such are our sins, to be treated as a madman before 
Herod's court, and, as such, to be clothed with a 
white robe, buffeted, scoffed at, and scorned by that 
impious king and his bands. In union with this 
present sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Thy Son, 
in Whom are contained all the treasures of the 
Divinity, I offer Thee His profound humility in favor 
of the souls in purgatory, and I ask Thee to grant 
them repose and peace. 
Requiem, etc. 

ffvom tijt Sattcttts to tfje 3Elebattom 

jgp^LMiGHTY God, Father of mercy, and source of 



all consolation, do Thou this day console the 



[ggig^i sou i s i n purgatory by the merits of the sac- 
rifice of the true Body and Blood of Thy Son, which 
I offer Thee in union with the Church triumphant 
and the Church militant, and do Thou deliver them 
from the pains, they are enduring in their prison. 
Jesus, Thy Son, offers Thee His Body and Blood for 
their ransom. He offereth that same Body which, 
through excess of love, He allowed to be fastened to 
a column, where it received not merely hundreds, but 
thousands of stripes, in order to satisfy Thy justice 
for our sins committed in the flesh ; He offereth that 
same Blood, which, shed in torrents during that ter- 
rible flagellation, cleansed the Church, His Spouse, 
from all the defilements it had received from the 
demon. I pray Thee behold this innocent Body and 
this divine Blood, and break asunder the chains 




Monday — Mass for the Souls in Purgatory. 139 



which hold the souls of thy children captive in pur- 
gatory. Merciful Father, by the merit of this great 
sacrifice and of all the wounds received by Thine 
only Son during His cruel scourging, grant Thy 
grace to me, a miserable sinner, and grant repose 
and peace to the souls in purgatory. 
Requiem, etc. 

ffvom Ujt lilebatton to tjc iBatrr Xostcr. 

God, Who art our heavenly Father, and the 
Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, humbly pros- 
trate before the throne of Thine infinite maj- 
esty. I offer Thee this day the sacrifice of the Body 
and Blood of Thy Son for the ransom of the souls in 
purgatory ; and with this sacrifice, I offer to Thee the 
sufferings, derision, insult, and bad treatment which 
Jesus vouchsafed to suffer for the salvation of all men 
when, after His flagellation, He was crowned with 
thorns. Wishing to satisfy Thy justice for all our 
sins of thought, He did not refuse being crowned 
with thorns, blindfolded, clothed in a tattered purple 
robe, and treated like a mock-king with a reed for 
a sceptre: neither did He turn away His face from 
being struck and spat upon. By these sufferings He 
has superabundantly paid our debts and obtained 
our pardon. Look upon Thy Son thus humiliated, 
O Father of mercies, and deliver from their purga- 
torial prison those souls who are Thy cherished 
spouses, and do Thou grant them repose and peace. 
Requiem, etc. 

j?ront tfjr JSatrr Xostrr to tgc Communion, 

Iather Almighty, eternal, unchanging, invisi- 
ble, and infinite in all Thy perfections, all the 

1 choirs of angels are incessantly singing before 

Thee, " Holy, holy, holy." and we on the earth, by 
Jesus Christ, with Jesus Christ, and in Jesus Christ, by 




140 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



offering Thee this great sacrifice of the Mass, are ren- 
dering Thee all the glory and honor due to Thine in- 
finite majesty. We pray Thee for the deliverance of 
the souls in purgatory. Receive then this day, O heav- 
enly Father, the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of 
Thy Son, in union with the sufferings He experienced 
when He was so shamefully reviled by the Jews ; 
for when Pilate, from his judgment-seat, presented 
Him to the people, crowned with thorns, covered 
with a tattered scarlet mantle, a reed in His hand, 
and blood gushing from every wound, saying, " Be- 
hold the Man !" the Jews judged Him worthy of 
death, and preferred Barabbas, a wicked homicide, 
to Jesus, and cried out, " Not this man, but Barab- 
bas. Crucify Him, Crucify Him!" Jesus, con- 
demned to death, like a gentle lamb, embraced His 
cross and carried it to Calvary, the place of sacrifice, 
It was charity on the part of Thy divine Son that 
made Him humble Himself thus for our salvation ; 
but it is justice on Thy part, accepting this profound 
humiliation in order to raise us and deliver the 
souls in purgatory. I pray Thee, then, by the merits 
of this sacrifice, and by the profound humility which 
Thy Son practised during His Passion, to grant rest 
and peace to the souls in purgatory. 
Requiem, etc. 

Jfrom tfje (totnxnmxion to tjje Hutr of J&ass. 
HHHI G° D °^ * ove ' Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 



look down now on this altar whereon the 



I P™" ! unbloody sacrifice of Thy Son's Body and 
Blood is representing His most holy Death and 
grievous Passion. In quality of High Priest He 
offered it to Thee on Calvary by the effusion of all 
the blood in His veins, when stretched naked on the 
cross, He was nailed thereon, and after three hours' 
agony, amid derision and insult, gall and vinegar 
being given Him to drink, He yielded His soul into 




Monday — Mass for the Souls in Purgatory. 141 



Thy hands, being obedient even unto death. In con- 
sideration of this holocaust of agreeable odor, do 
Thou exercise Thy mercy in favor of the souls in 
purgatory, and deliver them from the chains which 
bind them and prevent them from taking their flight 
to heaven, where they wish to praise and love Thee 
with a consummate love. Together with the sor- 
rows of Thy divine Son, I also offer Thee those of 
His blessed Mother, whose maternal heart was 
crucified at the foot of the cross. The lance that 
pierced the side and the heart of Jesus, Thy Son, 
also transfixed Mary's soul, as had been prophesied 
by Simeon, and thus she became the Queen of ail 
the martyrs. Behold then, O heavenly Father, the 
disfigured face of Thy Son on the cross, and the 
crucified heart of His Mother at the foot of the cross; 
and by the merits of the Son's and Mother's suffer- 
ings, grant peace and rest to the souls in purgatory. 
Requiem, etc. 

JBraurr to i»ar»J 

To obtain Holy Perseverance* 

^|OST holy Mary, Queen of Heaven. I, who was 
1 once the slave of Satan, now dedicate myself 
1 to thy service forever. I offer myself to 

honor and to serve thee while I live. Accept me 
as thy willing servant, and cast me not from thee 
as I deserve. Mother, in thee have I placed all my 
hope. All blessing and thanksgiving be to God, 
Who in His mercy giveth me this trust in thee. 
True it is that in the past I was miserably fallen in 
sin. But through the merits of Jesus Christ, and by 
thy prayers, I hope that God has pardoned me my 
sins. Yet it is not enough, my Mother, to be for- 
given whilst the thought appals me that 1 may still 
lose the grace of God. Danger is ever nigh ; the 



1 See note p 134. 



142 



Pious Exercises for Every Week, 



devil sleeps not ; fresh temptations assail me. Pro- 
tect me then, my sovereign mistress! help me 
against the assaults of hell. Never, never let me sin 
again and offend Jesus, thy Son. No, never, never 
more suffer me to risk my soul, heaven, and my 
God, by sin. For this one grace I ask thee, Mary ; 
this I desire ; this may thy prayers obtain for me. 
Such is my hope. Amen. 
Hail Mary, three ti?nes. 



TUESDAY. 

Consecrated to the Holy Angels? 
Excellent Manner of Hearing Mass. 

In order to hear Mass with devotion, we should remember that the 
sacrifice of the altar is the same as that which was accomplished on 
Calvary; except that there the blood of Jesus Christ was really shed, 
while on the altar it is shed only mystically. Had you been present 
at Calvary at that solemn moment, with what tender devotion would 
you not have followed the course of that great sacrifice ! With lively 
faith, then, behold what took place once on Calvary and is now tak- 
ing place on the altar ; and call to mind also that this divine sacrifice 
is not offered only by the Priest, but also by all those present. Thus, 
by being present at Mass, all the faithful in a manner perform the 
office of Priest, and thereby the merits of the Passion of Jesus are 
applied to each one in particular. 

We should also call to mind that the sacrifice of the Mass was in- 
stituted for four ends, namely : i. To honor God ; 2. To satisfy for 
our sins ; 3. To thank God for the benefits bestowed on us by Him; 
4. To obtain His grace. 

Whence arise the following considerations, which will enable us 
to hear Mass with great fruit : 

1. At Mass, by offering to the Eternal Father the person of Jesus 
Christ, Man and God, we render God an infinitely greater homage 
than if we offered Him the lives of all men and all angels. 

2. By this offering of Jesus Christ, which is made at Mass, we 
offer to God complete satisfaction for all the sins of men, specially of 
those present at the Sacrifice, to whom is applied the same divine 
Blood as was shed on Calvary for the redemption of the human race. 
Thus, by a Mass, we make more satisfaction to divine justice for our 
faults than by any other expiatory work. It is, however, true that, 
although Mass be of infinite value, God only accepts of it in a finite 
manner according to the dispositions of each one present at it; and 
this is why it is useful to hear several Masses. 

3. Mass is a means for us of thanking God worthily for all the 
benefits we have received from Him. 



*See Devotion to the Holy Angels, Part IV., Art. 6. 



Tuesday — Excellent Manner of Hearing Mass. 143 



4. During- Mass we can obtain all the favors we desire for our- 
selves and for others. We are unworthy of receiving - benefits ; but 
Our Saviour has given us the means of meriting and obtaining all 
graces, and this is done by asking- them in His name, by offering 
Him Himself to the Eternal Father in the sacrifice of the Mass ; for 
then He unites Himself to us and prays with us. If, whilst you 
were praying to Our Lord, you knew that the Mother of God and all 
the saints in paradise were uniting themselves with you, and plead- 
ing- for you, with what confidence would you not pray ! Now, when 
you assist at Mass in order to ask some grace of God, Our Lord Jesus 
Christ, whose prayers are worth infinitely more than those of all the 
saints in paradise, is Himself praying for you, and offering for you 
all the merits of His Passion. 

It is, then, an excellent practice to divide the Mass into four 
parts, in the following manner: 

ffvom tfje Commencement to tfje (SospeL 

Offer the Holy Sacrifice to God in order to honor Him, saying : 

Iy God, I adore Thine infinite majesty. I 
would wish to honor Thee as Thou dost 

I deserve; but what honor can be paid by 
such a sinner as I ? I offer Thee the infinite honor 
rendered by Jesus Christ on this altar. 

ffivom tfje Gospel to tge 22lebatton* 

Offer the Holy Sacrifice for the expiation of your sins, saying: 

jlORD, I detest and sovereignly deplore all the 
displeasure I have given Thee. In repara- 

II tion of my offences against Thee, I offer 
Thee Thy divine Son, Who is sacrificing Himself 
anew for me on this altar ; and by His merits I beg 
of Thee to grant me pardon and perseverance in 
Thy holy grace. 

jFrom tjje 2S(ebeitton to t^e (ftommtutton* 

Offer Jesus Christ to the Eternal Father, to thank Him for all the 
graces He has bestowed upon you, saying : 

jlORD, of myself I cannot thank Thee worthily 
for Thy benefits, but I offer Thee, in thanks- 
giving, the Blood shed by Jesus Christ in 
this Mass, and in all those which are now being 
celebrated on the face of the earth. 



144 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



ffvom tfje Communion to tfje 3Enlt. 

Confidently ask for the graces of which you stand in need, and spe- 
cially for sorrow for your sins, perseverance, and divine love. Rec- 
ommend to God particularly the persons with whom you live, your 
relations, all sinners, the souls in purgatory, etc. 

I do not find it amiss that you should recite vocal prayers during 
the Mass ; but, at the same time, I would not have you fail to acquit 
yourself of the four duties I have pointed out: Adoration, Contri- 
tion, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. I would recommend you to 
hear as many Masses as you can ; each time that you assist at the 
Holy Sacrifice in the manner I have here given you will gain an im- 
mense increase of merits. 

$r#£er to £Muv$. 1 

To obtain a good death, 

IIWljOLiEST Mary, Mother of goodness, Mother of 
IS fH 1 merc y • when I reflect on my sins and on 
lessa! the moment of my death, I tremble and am 
filled with confusion. My sweetest Mother, in the 
blood of Jesus and in Thy intercession are my hopes. 
Comfort of the afflicted ! abandon me not at my 
death-agony ; fail not to console me in that great 
affliction. If, even now, I am so tormented by re- 
morse for sin committed, by the uncertainty of for- 
giveness, by the danger of a relapse, and the rigor 
of divine justice, how will it be with me then? 
Mother, before death overtake me, obtain for me a 
great sorrow for my sins, a true amendment, and a 
constant fidelity to God, in all that yet remains to 
me of life. And when, indeed, my hour is come, 
then do thou, Mary, be my hope, be thou mine aid 
in the anguish in which my soul will be over- 
whelmed ; when the enemy sets before my face my 
sins, oh ! comfort me then, that I may not despair. 
Obtain for me at that moment to invoke thee often, 
that with thine own sweet name and that of thy 
most holy Son upon my lips, I may breathe forth 
my spirit. This grace thou hast granted to many of 



1 See note p. 134. 



Wednesday — Prayers during Mass. 145 

thy servants : I, too, desire it, and hope to obtain it. 
Amen. 

Hail Mary, three times. 



WEDNESDAY. 

Consecrated to St. Joseph} 

Prayers during Mass. 

To ask God for His Grace. 

After having- placed yourself in God's presence, recite piously and 
slowly the following prayers : 

Before tfjc i&ass autr at tfje <£fFcrtor»* 

fTERNAL Father, in this sacrifice I offer to Thee 
Thy Son Jesus, with all the merits "of His 
Passion: 1. In honor of Thy majesty; 2. In 
thanksgiving for all the favors Thou hast hitherto 
shown me, and for all those which I hope to receive 
for all eternity; 3. In satisfaction for my sins, and 
for those of all the living and the dead. 4. To obtain 
eternal salvation, and all the graces which are neces- 
sary for me to gain it. 

ffvoxn tijt (tommtnctmvnt of ittass to tfjc <Sffertor», 

Devout Acts to be made every day. 

ADORE Thee, my God, most holy Trinity, 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, three persons 
and one only God ! 
I humble myself in the abyss of my nothingness to 
the will of Thy infinite majesty. 

I firmly believe all that Thou hast deigned to 
make known to me by means of the holy Scripture 
and Thy holy Church, because Thou hast said it; 
and I am ready to give my life a thousand times for 
this faith. 



1 See Devotion to St. Joseph, Part IV., Art. 5. 



1 46 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



I place all my hope in Thee. Whatever good I 
may have, whether spiritual or temporal, either in 
this life or in the next, I hope for from Thee, through 
the merits of Jesus Christ, O God, my life and my 
only hope ! 

I love Thee, Infinite Goodness, with all the affec- 
tion of my heart and of my soul, because Thou dost 
merit all my love. I wish I knew how to love Thee 
as the angels, the saints, and just men love Thee. 
I unite my imperfect love with that which all the 
saints, most holy Mary, and Jesus Christ bear to 
Thee. 

My God, because Thou art the supreme good, in- 
finitely worthy of being loved and served, I am sorry 
and repent of all my sins, detesting them as much 
as possible above every other evil. I resolve for the 
future rather to die than to consent to anything 
that may give Thee the slightest displeasure. 

I offer Thee now and forever my body, my soul, 
and all my senses and faculties, my memory, my 
understanding, and my will. Do with me, Lord, and 
with all that belongs to me, what Thou pleasest. 
Give me Thy love and final perseverance, and grant 
that in all temptations I may always have recourse 
to Thee. 

I resolve to employ myself entirely in those things 
which are pleasing to Thee, being ready to surfer any 
pain and labor in order to please Thee, saying al- 
ways : Lord, may Thy will be done ! 

I desire that all should serve and love Thee. I 
would gladly spend my time in persuading all man- 
kind to love and honor Thy majesty. 

I offer to Thy majesty all the works I shall ever 
do, steeping them in the blood of Jesus, my Redeemer. 

I intend to gain all the indulgences I can in my 
actions this day, and to apply them by way of suffrage 
to the souls in purgatory. 

I recommend to Thee all the souls in purgatory, 



Wednesday — Prayers during Mass. 147 



as also all sinners ; enlighten and strengthen these 
unhappy creatures, that they may know and love 
Thee. 

I rejoice exceedingly that Thy happiness is infinite, 
and will never have an end. 

I thank Thee for all the graces and benefits which 
Thou hast bestowed upon all mankind, but especially 
upon me, who have been more ungrateful than 
others. 

My beloved Jesus, I take refuge within Thy sacred 
wounds : do Thou there defend me this day and for- 
ever from all temptations, till Thou shalt grant me 
to see Thee and love Thee eternally in paradise. 
Amen. This is my hope, and so may it be. 

ffvom ti)t Offertory to tfje Hlebatuw. 

Uterxal Father, I offer Thee this sacrifice in 
thanksgiving for all the gifts bestowed on 
Jesus Christ as man, on the Blessed Virgin 
Mary, and on all my holy patrons. I recommend 
to Thee the Sovereign Pontiff, those who govern 
us, my relations, my benefactors, my friends, and my 
enemies. I also recommend to Thee all infidels, 
heretics, and sinners at enmity with Thee. Give 
them light, and the help necessary to deliver them 
from so sad a state. 

Prayer to obtain the Grace of being Constant in 
Prayer. 

God of my soul, I know that I have often 
fallen into sin, because I have not had re- 
course to Thee, when I was tempted, to ask 
for holy perseverance. For the future I firmly re- 
solve to recommend myself always to Thee, and 
especially when I see myself in danger of again 
offending Thee. I will always fly to Thy mercy, in- 
voking^ always the most holy names of Jesus and 
Mary, with full confidence that when I pray Thou 



148 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



wilt not fail to give me the strength which I have 
not of myself to resist my enemies. This I resolve 
and promise to do. But of what use, O my God, 
will all these resolutions and promises be, if Thou 
dost not assist me with Thy grace to put them in 
practice ; that is, to have recourse to Thee in all 
dangers ? Ah, Eternal Father, help me, for the love 
of Jesus Christ; and let me never omit recommend- 
ing myself to Thee whenever I am tempted. I know 
that Thou dost always help me when I have recourse 
to Thee ; but my fear is that I should forget to rec- 
ommend myself to Thee, and so my negligence will 
be the cause of my ruin — that is, the loss of Thy 
grace, the greatest evil that can Happen to me. Ah ! 
by the merits of Jesus Christ, give me grace to pray 
to Thee ; but grant me such an abundant grace that 
I may always pray, and pray as I ought ! 

O my Mother Mary, whenever I have had recourse 
to thee, thou hast obtained for me the help which 
has kept me from falling. Now I come to beg of 
thee to obtain me a still greater grace, namely, that 
of recommending myself always to thy Son and to 
thee in all my necessities. My Queen, thou dost 
obtain all thou dost desire from God by the love 
thou bearest to Jesus Christ; obtain for me now this 
grace which I beg of thee — namely, to pray always, 
and never to cease praying till I die. Amen. 

IBuvmq tfje Blebattom 

Petitions to the Heart of Jesus, 

■ erciful Heart of Jesus, have compassion on me! 
O Heart which on the cross wast so agonized 
for the sins of the world, give me true sorrow 
for my sins O most pure Heart, purify my heart from 
all attachment to creatures, and fill it with Thy holy 
love. O Heart opened to be the refuge of souls, 
receive me. Most meek Heart, impart Thy sweetnes 



Wednesday — Prayers during Mass. 149 



to me. Most humble Heart of Jesus, give me a share 
in Thy humility. most loving Heart of my Jesus, 
consuming fire, consume me entirely, and give me 
a new life of love and grace. O most sacred Heart, 
write upon my heart all the bitter sorrows which for 
so many years Thou didst endure for love of me, 
that, on seeing them, I may patiently endure all the 
sorrows of this life. Divine Heart, enlighten all 
those who know Thee not with the knowledge of 
Thyself. Compassionate Heart, deliver, or at least 
relieve, the pains of the afflicted souls in purgatory, 
who are already Thy spouses for all eternity. 

jFront tfje 2£iebatunt to tfje 3Eutr* 

Prayer to be said every day, to obtain the Graces neces- 
sary for Salvation, 

Jternal Father, Thy Son has promised that 
Thou wilt grant us all the graces which we 
ask Thee for in His name. In the name, 
therefore, and by the merits of Jesus Christ, I ask 
the following graces for myself and for all mankind. 
And, first, I pray Thee to give me a lively faith in all 
that the holy Catholic Church teaches me. Enlighten 
me also, that I may know the vanity of the goods of 
this world, and the immensity of the infinite good 
that Thou art ; make me also see the deformity of 
the sins I have committed, that I may humble my- 
self and detest them as I ought ; and, on the other 
hand, show me how worthy Thou art, by reason of 
Thy goodness, that I should love Thee with all my 
heart. Make me know also the love Thou hast borne 
me, that from this day forward I may try to be grate- 
ful for so much goodness. Secondly, give me a firm 
confidence in Thy mercy of receiving the pardon of 
my sins, holy perseverance, and finally, the glory of 
paradise, through the merits of Jesus Christ and the 
intercession of Mary. Thirdly, give me a great love 



1 50 Pzous Exercises for "Every Week. 

towards Thee, which shall detach me from the love 
of this world and of myself, so that I may love none 
other but Thee, and that I may neither do nor desire 
any thing else but what is for Thy glory. Fourthly, 
I beg of Thee a perfect resignation to Thy will, in 
accepting with tranquillity, sorrows, infirmities, con- 
tempt, persecutions, aridity of spirit, loss of property, 
of esteem, of relations, and every other cross which 
shall come to me from Thy hands. I offer myself 
entirely to Thee, that Thou mayest do with me and 
all that belongs to me what Thou pleasest ; do Thou 
only give me light and strength to do Thy will; and 
especially at the hour of death help me to sacrifice 
my life to Thee with all the affection I am capable 
of, in union with the sacrifice which Thy Son Jesus 
Christ made of His life on the cross on Calvary. 
Fifthly, I beg of Thee a great sorrow for my sins, 
which may make me grieve over them as long as I 
live, and weep for the insults I have offered Thee, 
the Sovereign Good, Who art worthy of infinite love, 
and Who hast loved me so much. Sixthly, I pray 
Thee to give me the spirit of true humility and 
meekness, that I may accept with peace, and even 
with joy, all the contempt, ingratitude, and ill-treat- 
ment that I may receive. At the same time I also 
pray Thee to give me perfect charity, which shall 
make me wish well to those who have done evil to 
me, and to do what good I can, at least by praying 
for those who have in any way injured me. Sev- 
enthly, I beg of Thee to give me a love for the virtue 
of holy mortification, by which I may chastise my 
rebellious senses, and cross my self-love ; at the same 
time, I beg Thee to give me holy purity of body, and 
the grace to resist all bad temptations, by ever hav- 
ing recourse to Thee and Thy most holy Mother. 
Give me grace faithfully to obey my spiritual father 
and all my superiors in all things. Give me an up- 
right intention, that in all I desire and do I may 



Wednesday — Prayers during Mass. iji 



seek only Thy glory, and to please Thee alone. 
Give me a great confidence in the Passion of Jesus 
Christ, and in the intercession of Mary Immaculate. 
Give me a great love towards the most adorable 
Sacrament of the Altar, and a tender devotion and 
love to Thy holy Mother. Give me, I pray Thee, 
above all, holy perseverance,, and the grace always to 
pray for it, especially in time of temptation and at 
the hour of death. 

Lastly, I recommend to Thee the holy souls in 
purgatory, my relations and benefactors ; and in an 
especial manner I recommend to Thee all those who 
hate me cr who have in any way offended me; I beg 
of Thee to render them good for the evil they have 
done, or wish to do me. Finally, I recommend to 
Thee all infidels, heretics, and all poor sinners ; give 
them light and strength to deliver themselves from 
sin. O most loving God, make Thyself known and 
loved by all, but especially by those who have been 
more ungrateful to Thee than others, so that by Thy 
goodness I may come one day to sing Thy mercies 
in paradise ; for my hope is in the merits of Thy 
Blood, and in the patronage of Mary. O Mary, 
Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me ! So I hope ; so 
may it be ! 

drawer to iHari). 1 

To be preserved from hell. 

I other of God, most holy Mary, how often by 
my sins have I merited hell ! Ere now the 

judgment had gone forth against my first 

mortal sin, hadst not thou, in thy tender pity, stayed 
awhile God's justice,' and then, softening my hard 
heart, drawn me on to take confidence in thee. And 
oh ! how often, in dangers which beset my steps, 
had I fallen, hadst not thou, loving Mother that 



1 See note, p. 134. 



152 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



thou art, preserved me by the graces which thou 
didst obtain for me. My Queen, what will thy pity 
and thy favor have availed me, if I perish in the 
flames of hell ? If ever I have not loved thee, now, 
after God, I love thee above all things. Ah ! suffer 
not that I turn away from thee and from God, Who 
through thee hath granted me so many mercies. Lady 
most worthy of all love, suffer not that I be doomed 
to hate and curse thee forever in hell. Couldstthou 
bear to see a servant whom thou lovest lost forever? 
O Mary ! say not so. Say not that I shall be among 
the lost ! yet lost am I, assuredly, if I abandon thee. 
But who can have the heart to leave thee ? How 
can I ever forget the love which thou has borne me ? 
No, it is impossible for him to perish who hath re- 
course to thee, and who, with loyal heart, confides 
in thee. Leave me not to myself, my Mother, or I 
am lost ! Let me ever have recourse to thee ! Save 
me, my hope ! save me from hell, and first from sin, 
which alone can cause my eternal ruin. 
Hail Mary, three times. 



THURSDAY. 

Consecrated to the Blessed Sacrament. 1 

Prayers during Mass. 

To obtain the great gift of divine love. 

^mrotfio air aitare JBtu 

God, how many graces have I not lost 
through my negligence in asking Thee for 

them during the august sacrifice of the 

Mass ! But since thou dost see fit to enlighten me, 
I will not again be so negligent. Eternal Father! I 
unite, then, on that point, my prayers to those of 
Jesus Christ, and for the love of Thy adorable Son, 
Who is about to offer Himself as a sacrifice, I beg of 



» See Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, Part IV., Art. 2, Sec. 4. 



Thursday — Prayers during Mass. 153 

Thee to make known to me the infinite right Thou 
hast to my love and my immense obligation of lov- 
ing Thee on account of Thy goodness and Thy love 
for me. Give me, I pray Thee, the strength to be 
entirely detached from worldly affections, and to 
employ my whole heart in loving Thee alone, my 
supreme Treasure, sweet Lover of my soul ! I also 
pray Thee to enlighten those who know Thee not 
and who are living far from Thee. Grant to all men 
the gift of Thy grace and that of Thy holy fear. In- 
finite love of my God ! be Thou known and loved. 
Mary, my hope, Mother of beautiful love, do thou 
help me in loving the God of love with all my heart 
and forever. 

ardon me, O my Jesus ! pardon me the great 
fault I have committed in not loving Thee, 
Thou Who art so worthy of love, and Who 
hast so loved me, and Who hast done so much to 
make me love Thee. 




Gloria m mtlsts* 

IS3FE3I PRAISE Thee, my Jesus, I praise Thine infinite 
PjH charity, which makes Thee glorious both in 
| B&sa | h eaven anc i on earth ; and I unite my voice to 
that of the angel : Glory to God in the highest} I 
thank Thee in the name of all mankind, but I thank 
Thee especially for myself, a miserable sinner. What 
would have become of me, what hope could I have 
of pardon and salvation, if Thou, my Saviour, hadst 
not come down from heaven to save me ? I praise 
Thee, then, I thank Thee, and I love Thee. Loving 
Heart of my Jesus ! make my heart burn with love 
of Thee by discovering to me the immense good 
that I possess in Thee. 



1- Luke ii. 14. 



1 54 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



^remits, 

Y beloved Jesus, Thou Who, though foreseeing 
my ingratitude, didst not weary of bestowing 
Thy graces on me, specially that of a voca- 
tion to the true faith; Thou Who hast not disdained 
to give Thyself to me so often and so lovingly in 
Thy divine sacrament: vouchsafe, mercifully, so to 
inflame my heart, that all my actions may hence- 
forth be conformable to my faith. Adorable, true, 
and only Lover of my soul, when, at length, will the 
day arrive on which I shall commence loving Thee 
with all my heart ? May this very day be that hap- 
py day for me ! 

23urwQ tfje 2Ejnstle* 

flOD is a treasury of all grace, of all good, of all 
perfection. God is infinite, God is eternal, 
God is immense, God is unchangeable. God 
is powerful, God is wise, God is provident, God is 
just. God is merciful, God is holy, God is beautiful, 
God is brightness itself, God is rich, God is all things. 
He is worthy of love ; and of how much love ! God 
is worthy of so much love, that all the angels and all 
the saints of paradise do nothing but love God, and 
they will throughout all eternity be occupied only 
in loving Him ; and in this love of God they are 
and will be always happy. 

WuxtvLQ tfje Gospel antr tfje i&rettr, 

8]OD so loved the world, as to give His only-begot- 
ten Son. 1 Let us weigh these words of Our 
Saviour's: God so loved the world — the word 
" so" expresses the vehemence of God's love. What ! 
a God condescends to love men, miserable worms, that 
have been rebellious and ungrateful towards Him, 
and to love them to such an extent as to give His 

^ohn iii. i6. 



Thursday — Prayers during Mass, 



*S5 



Only-begotten Son ! Not a servant, not an angel, 
not an archangel did He give, but His own Son, 
Whom He loved as much as Himself. But in what 
manner did He choose to give Him ? He gave Him 
to us lowly, humbled, poor, despised ; He gave Him 
into the hands of slaves to be treated as a mis- 
creant, and even to be put to death, covered with 
shame, on an infamous gibbet ! . . . O grace ! O 
strength of the love of a God ! 

3ft tfjr (Dffrrtori). 

[[terxal Father, I, a miserable sinner, who 
have deserved a thousand hells, present my- 
self this day before Thee. O God of infinite 
majesty, and I offer Thee my poor heart. But, O 
God, what a heart is it that I offer Thee ? — a heart 
that has never known how to love Thee, but has, on 
the contrary, so often offended Thee and so often 
betrayed Thee ; but now I offer it to Thee full of 
penitence, and resolved to love Thee at all costs, and 
to obey Thee in all things. Pardon me, and draw 
me entirely to Thy love. I do not deserve to be 
heard: but Thy infant Son, Who offers Thee Him- 
self in the Temple as a sacrifice for my salvation, 
merits for me this grace. I offer Thee this Thy Son 
and His sacrifice, and in this I place all my hopes. 
I thank Thee, O my Father, for having sent Him 
upon the earth to sacrifice Himself for me. And 
I bless Thee, O Incarnate Word. Lamb of God. Who 
didst offer Thyself to die for my soul ! I love Thee, 
my clear Redeemer, and Thee alone will I love ; for 
I find none but Thee that has offered and sacrificed 
His life -to save me. It makes me shed tears to think 
how grateful I have been to others, and how ungrate- 
ful to Thee alone ; but Thou wiliest not my death, 
but that I should be converted and live. Yes, my 
Jesus. I turn to Thee, and repent with my whole 
heart of having offended mv God. Who has thus 



1 56 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



sacrificed Himself for me. Do Thou give me life, 
and that life shall consist in loving Thee, the Sover- 
eign Good ; make me love Thee, I ask Thee nothing 
more. 

preface* 

j]T is then, my Redeemer, at so great a cosl chat 
Thou hast desired to gain our love ! And 
shall there be any among men who believe 
in Thee and not love Thee ? I comfort myself with 
the thought that Thou art the love of all the souls 
of the saints, the love of Mary, the love of Thy 
Father; but, O my God, how many are there who 
will not know Thee, and how many who know Thee 
and yet will not love Thee ! Infinite Love, make 
Thyself known, make Thyself loved. Ah, that I 
could by my blood and my death make Thee loved 
by all ! 

IBurtttQ tfje <&mxon* 

ternal Father, look not upon my sins, but 
look at the wounds of Jesus; behold Thy 
Son dying through pain for my sake, and 



asking Thee to pardon me. I repent, O my Creator ! 
of having offended Thee. I am sorry for it above 
all things. Thou didst create me that I might love 
Thee ; and I have lived as if Thou didst create 
me to offend Thee. For the love of Jesus Christ, 
pardon me, and give me grace to love Thee. I 
have hitherto resisted Thy will, but I will resist no 
longer, and will do whatsoever Thou commandest. 
Thou commandest me to detest the outrages I have 
offered Thee; behold, I detest them with. my whole 
heart. Thou commandest me to resolve to offend 
Thee no more; behold, 1 resolve to lose my life a 
thousand times rather than forfeit Thy grace. Thou 
commandest me to love Thee with my whole heart; 
yes, with my whole heart I love Thee, and I wish to 



Thursday — Prayers during Mass, .157 



love nothing else but Thee. Thou wilt henceforth 
be my only beloved, my only love. From Thee I 
ask, and from Thee I hope, for holy perseverance. 
For the love of Jesus Christ, grant that I may al- 
ways be faithful to Thee, and that I may always say 
to Thee with St. Bonaventure : " Thou art my well- 
beloved, the only object of my affections. " 



gtt t$e Hlcbatton- 

■ eternal Father ! through the merits of 
Jesus Christ 1 ask of Thee final perseverance 
in Thy grace and in Thy love. I know that 
Thou will grant it to me whenever I ask it. But 
how can I be sure that I shall be careful to ask this 
perseverance from Thee ? Hence, O my God, I ask 
perseverance, and the grace always to ask it of Thee. 
O infinite Goodness ! I adore Thee for all those who 
do not adore Thee ; and I love Thee for ail who do 
not love Thee. 



^fter tge IZlebution. 

Y beloved Redeemer, oh ! that I could possess 
the hearts of all men, and with them love Thee 
— as Thou deservest to be loved ! O God of love, 
why, after Thou hast shed all Thy Blood in this world, 
and given Thy life for the love of mankind — why, I 
say, are there so few men who burn with Thy love ? 
For this end didst Thou come, namely, to kindle in 
our hearts the fire of Thy love, and Thou desirest 
nothing but to see it enkindled. I pray then, with 
the holy Church, in my name and in the name of 
everyone living: " Kindle, burn, consume our hearts 
with the fire of Thy love." My God, Thou art all 
goodness, all love, all infinite sweetness, boundless 
in love ; make Thyself known to all, make Thyself 
loved. I am not ashamed of praying thus to Thee, 
although up to this time I have been more guilty 



158 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



than others in despising Thy love. Now, enlight- 
ened by Thy grace, and wounded by the many ar- 
rows of love Thou hast shot forth from Thy burn- 
ing and loving Heart into my soul, I am determined 
no longer to be ungrateful to Thee as I have hither- 
to been ; but I will love Thee with all my strength, 
I desire to burn with Thy love, and this Thou hast to 
grant me. I look not for sensible consolations in 
loving Thee ; I do not deserve them, neither do I ask 
for them ; it is enough for me to love Thee. I love 
Thee, my Sovereign Good ; I love Thee, my God 
and my all ! 

<&X tfje garter Foster* 

||hy kingdom come. Reign, my Jesus, reign 
over my whole soul. May it obey Thee 
alone, seek Thee alone, desire Thee alone. 
Away from my heart, ye earthly affections ! Come, 
O ye flames of divine love ; come and remain alone 
to possess and consume me for that God of love 
I Who did die consumed for me. 

i 

&t tije ^grnts IBtu 

j]Y Saviour and my God ! Bring continually to 
my remembrance, I beseech Thee, all that 
Thou hast suffered for me, so that I may 
never more forget to love Thee. O cords that bound 
my Jesus, bind me to Jesus. Thorns that crowned 
my Jesus, pierce me with the love of Jesus. Nails 
that transfixed my Jesus, nail me to the Cross of 
Jesus, that I may live and die united to Jesus. O 
Blood of Jesus, inebriate me with His holy love! O 
death of Jesus', make me die to every earthly affec- 
tion. Pierced feet of my Lord, I embrace you ; de- 
liver me from hell, which I have deserved. O burn- 
ing Heart of my Jesus, inflame my poor heart with 
Thy love. 



Thursday — Prayers during Mass. 1 59 



Spiritual Communion. 

OME, then, my Jesus, come ; I desire to receive 
Thee within myself, that Thou mayestbe the 
God of my heart and of my will. Eternal 
Father! for the sake of Thy Son, give me the grace 
to love Thee, and to love Thee intensely. I love 
Thee, O my Father ! Who hast given me Thy Son. 
I love Thee, O Son of God ! Who didst die for me. 
I love thee, O Mother of Jesus ! who, by thy inter- 
cession, hast obtained for me time for repentance. 
O Mai*}-! obtain for me sorrow for my sins, the love 
of God, and holy perseverance. 

sit tfjr last ISraurrs. 

my God, how should I fear that Thou shouldst 
not give me pardon, perseverance. Thy 
love, Thy paradise, and all the graces that 



I can hope for. now that Thou hast given that which 
was most dear to Thee, even Thine own Son ? I 
know what I must do to obtain every good from 
Thee — I must ask for it for the love of Jesus Christ. 
In the name of Jesus Christ, then, I beseech Thee 
to give me holy perseverance unto death ; give me a 
pure and perfect love towards Thee ; give me an en- 
tire conformity to Thy holy will ; give me, finally, 
paradise. I ask for all, and hope for all, from Thee 
through the merits of Jesus Christ. 

Surtncj tf)c JS nest's Elrssmg. 

]ive me Thy blessings and Thy benefactions, O 
my most loving God, and may Thy benedic- 
tion draw me whollv to Thy love. Let the 



love which Thou hast borne me make me enamoured 
of Thy goodness. Thou dost deserve an infinite 
love ; I love Thee with all the love I can command ; 
I love Thee above everything ; I love Thee more 
than myself. I give Thee my whole will ; and this 



160 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



is the grace that I ask of Thee : make me from this 
day forth to live and do everything according to 
Thy divine' will, wherewith Thou desirest nothing 
but my good, and my eternal salvation. 

WuviiXQ tfje last &o$pth 

feel a great desire to love Thee, O my Love ! 
This Thou hast given me : I thank Thee for 
it. Continue the aid which Thou hast be- 
gun to give me. I hope to be henceforth Thine, and 
entirely Thine. And what greater pleasure can I 
enjoy than that of pleasing Thee, my Lord ! Who 
art so amiable, and Who hast loved me so tenderly ! 

my God ! I ask only love, love, love ! and 
hope always to ask of Thee love, love, until, dying 
in Thy love, I reach the kingdom of love, where, 
without evermore asking it, I shall be full of love, 
and never for a single moment cease to love Thee 
for all eternity and with all my strength. Mary, my 
Mother ! who lovest thy God so intensely, and who 
desirest so vehemently to see Him loved, obtain for 
me the grace to love Him ardently in this life, that 

1 may love Him ardently forever in the next. 

3Pra2>nr to |&ar£j 

To obtain Paradise. 

jjUEEN of Heaven, sitting enthroned above the 
nine choirs of angels nighest to God, from 
this vale of tears I, a wretched sinner, hail 
thee, praying thee, in thy love, to turn on me those 
gracious eyes of thine. See, Mary, see the danger 
in which I am and ever shall be whilst I live upon 
this earth, of losing my soul, paradise, and God. In 
thee, Lady, is my hope. I love thee ; and I sigh 
after the time when I shall see thee and praise thee 

1 See note page 134. 



Friday — Prayers dtiring Mass. 161 

in heaven's courts. O Mary, when will that blessed 
day come that I shall see myself safe at thy feet ? 
When shall I kiss that hand so often outstretched to 
minister to me graces ? Alas ! too true it is, my 
Mother, that in my life I have often been ungrateful ; 
but if I reach heaven, there I will love thee for all 
eternity, and make reparation for my ingratitude by 
ever blessing and praising thee. Thanks be to God 
for having given me such trust in the precious Blood 
of Jesus, and in thy powerful intercession. In these 
thy true servants have ever hoped, and none of them 
have been disappointed. No : neither shall I be 
deceived in mine. O Mary, pray to thy Son Jesus, 
and I will pray to Him too, by all the merits of His 
passion to strengthen and increase this hope. Amen, 
Hail Mary, three times. 



FRIDAY. 

Consecrated to the Passion and Sacred Heart of Jesus} 
Prayers during Mass. 

To obtain the Remission of our Sins. 

Etttrotfio air altare Ueu 

^ ORD ! the place in which I ought to be at this 
moment is not that in which I find myself, 
but in hell, which I have so often merited by 
my sins. St. Peter says : " The Lord dealeth patiently 
for your sake, not willing that any should perish, 
but that all should return to penance" (2 Peter lii. 9). 
Then Thou hast had so much patience with me, and 
hast waited for me, because Thou wishest me not to 
be lost, but return to Thee by repentance. My God, I 
return to Thee; I cast myself at Thy feet, and suppli- 
cate mercy. " Have mercy on me, O God, according 



1 See Devotions, Part IV., Art. 2, §§ 3 and 5. 



1 62 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



to Thy great mercy" (Ps. 1). Lord, to pardon me 
requires a great and extraordinary act of mercy, be- 
cause I offended Thee after I had been favored with 
a special light. Other sinners also have offended 
Thee, but they have not received the light which 
Thou gavest to me. But in spite of all my sinfulness 
and ingratitude, Thou commandest me to repent of 
my sins and to hope for pardon. 

Kutrott* 

JJternal Father, look at the face of Thy 
Christ" (Ps. lxxxiii. 10) ; look at the wounds 
of Thy Son, which seek pity for me, and for 
their sake pardon me the outrages that I have com- 
mitted against Thee. 



God, most worthy of love, and my true lover, 
for the love of this Thy Son, so beloved by 
Thee, have mercy upon me. The mercy I 
ask is that Thou shouldst give me Thy holy love. 
Oh, draw me wholly to Thyself, from the mire of my 
corruption. Burn up, O Thou consuming fire, all that 
Thou seest impure in my soul, and that hinders me 
from being wholly Thine. 

Gloria in IQxttlniB* 

■ MY God ! I unite my poor heart to the Sacred 
Heart of Jesus Christ, and in His name I 
offer Thee this great sacrifice in recognition 
of Thy sovereign domain. Would that I could see 
Thine infinite majesty adored and loved by all men ; 
the honor which I now render Thee, by offering Thee 
the sacrifice of Thy divine Son, repairs all the dis- 
honor that men have done Thee or will ever do Thee 
by their sins. 




Friday — Prayers during Mass. 



163 



Y dear Saviour! assist me, do not abandon 
me. I see my whole soul covered with the 
wounds of sin ; my passions attack me vio- 
lently ; my bad habits weigh me down. I cast myself 
at Thy feet ; have pity on me, and deliver me from 
so many evils. Do not suffer a soul that trusts in 
Thee to be lost. 

IBuvitXQ tf)t Hptstle* 

O we fear that we are lost through our sins? 
Behold the remedy at hand ! Let us go 
with confidence, says the apostle, to the feet 
of Jesus Christ, and there shall we find pardon. Let 
us not wait to go to Jesus Christ until He sits upon 
His throne of judgment ; let us hasten at once, while 
He sits on His throne of grace. And let us remem- 
ber the assurance given us by St. John Chrysostom. 
" Our divine Saviour," he says, " more ardently desires 
to grant us pardon than we desire to receive it." 




Surtttfl tfje Gospel antr tfje <£reetr* 

" Father, forgive them, for they know not what they 
do." — (Luke xxiii. 34). 

loving tenderness of Jesus towards men ! St. 
Augustine says that when the Saviour was 
injured by His enemies, He besought pardon 
for them ; for He thought not so much of the inju- 
ries He received from them, and the death they in- 
flicted upon Him, as upon the love which brought 
Him to die for them. But some may say, Why did 
Jesus pray to the Father to pardon them, when He 
Himself could have forgiven their injuries ? St. 
Bernard replies that it was to teach us to pray for 
them that persecute us. Look, says St. Augustine, 
at Thy God upon His cross; see how He prays for 



164 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



thern that crucify Him ; and then dare to deny par- 
don to thy brother who has offended thee. 

During tjje <£ffertor#* 

■ eavenly Father, Father of mercy and God of 
consolation, Who dost comfort us in all our 
■ pains, accept, I beseech Thee, this sacrifice 

of the Body and Blood of Thy only Son, which I 
offer Thee to-day in union with the Church militant 
and the Church triumphant, in memory of the Pas- 
sion, the Resurrection, and the Ascension of my 
Saviour, and in honor of the Blessed Virgin and of 
all the heavenly court, in order to satisfy for my sins 
and those of all men. Behold, O my God, on this 
altar Thy well-beloved Son, the one object of Thy 
complacency ; listen to the voice of His wounds ; 
consider the precious tears which from His cross 
He shed, whilst He prayed so humbly for me, His 
faithless murderer, but who has now become a peni- 
tent sinner. Behold His Heart burning with so pure, 
so ardent a love ; and in consideration of His merits, 
deliver us from all the evils that we have deserved on 
account of our sins. Yes, O merciful Father! par- 
don us for the love of Jesus Christ, Who is our Ad- 
vocate and Mediator, and Who makes satisfaction 
for us, whilst, together with the Holy Ghost, He ren- 
ders Thee all glory and all honor forever and ever. 
Amen. 

By this Mass, O my God ! I have also the intention 
of returning thanks for all the benefits Thou hast 
bestowed on men, and specially for those bestowed 
on me, a miserable sinner, who, by my ingratitude, 
did merit being abandoned. The more I have mul- 
tiplied my offences, the more Thou hast multiplied 
Thy grace. For all this I thank Thee, O infinite 
goodness ! or rather, I beg of Jesus to thank Thee for 
me. 



Friday — Prayers during Mass, 165 



&t tfje preface* 

|H ! divine Shepherd, Thou didst come from 
heaven to seek me, a lost sheep, and for 
me Thou descendest every day on the altar ; 
after having given Thy life to save me, do not now 
abandon me. Into Thy hands I commit my soul ! 
In pity receive it, and let it never again stray from 
Thee. 

Now, whilst Thou art my Advocate and not my 
Judge, obtain for me from Thy Father the pardon of 
my sins. Obtain for me the light and strength which 
I need to love Thee with my whole heart ; obtain 
for me the grace of passing the rest of my days in 
so holy a manner that I may find Thy wrath ap- 
peased when Thou shalt come to be my judge. 



God ! Thou art justly angered with sinners, 
since they repay Thy great love with ingrati- 

■ 1 tude. But if the world's sins are great, far 

greater are the offering and gifts which I now present 
to Thee. I offer Thee Thine own Son as a sacrifice ;! 
may this Victim Who is so dear to Thee appease Thy 
wrath and incline Thee to show mercy to all poor 
sinners, to all those who know Thee not, and to all 
those who know Thee, but refuse to love Thee and 
live aliens to Thy grace; grant them the necessary 
help to enable them to quit the miserable state in 
which they are so blindly living. 

I pray Thee for all men, but I pray particularly for 
myself : after having received from Thy goodness 
more benefits than others, I have shown my ingrati- 
tude for them by multiplying my offences. For the 
love of Jesus Christ, my God ! pardon me all my 
mortal and venial sins, my impatience, my falsehood, 
my intemperance, my distractions, and especially my 
negligence at Mass and during prayer. I repent of 



1 66 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



all my faults, because they are displeasing to Thee, 
O infinite Goodness ! Who dost merit infinite love 
from all men. 

HBttrtttfi tfjc Hlebattott* 

■ ternal Father ! I abhor and sovereignly de- 
test my offences against Thee. Have com- 
passion on me for the love of Jesus Christ. 
O loving and tender Heart of my Jesus, have mer- 
cy on me, for I detest above all things the offences 
against Thee of which I have been guilty, and I now 
resolve to love nothing but Thee. 



gtfter tfje lElebatton* 

■ Y beloved Redeemer, would that I could die 
of sorrow at the remembrance of having 
grieved that Heart which has so loved me ! 
Vouchsafe to forget all the displeasure I have caused 
Thee, and cast on my soul a loving glance like that 
which Thou didst bestow on St. Peter after he had de- 
nied Thee, which glance made him continually weep 
for his sin during the rest of his life. O eternal 
Father ! pardon me for the sake of Jesus Christ. Hear 
His prayers, now that He intercedes for me and makes 
Himself my Advocate. But it is not enough to re- 
ceive pardon ; I desire also, O God ! worthy of infi- 
nite love, the grace to love Thee : I love Thee, O 
Sovereign Good ! and I offer Thee henceforth my 
body, my soul, my liberty, and my will. I wish 
henceforth to avoid not only grievous but also venial 
offences. I will fly from all evil occasions. For the 
love of Jesus Christ, preserve me from the occasions 
in which 1 would offend Thee. Deliver me from 
sin, and then chastise me as Thou pleasest. I ac- 
cept all infirmities, pains, and losses which Thou 
mayest be pleased to send me ; it is enough for me 
not to lose Thy grace and Thy love. 



Friday — Prayers during Mass, 



ehold, O Lord ! at Thy feet an ungrateful 
soul imploring mercy : Father, forgive vie. 
— I call Thee Father because Thou wishest me 
thus to call Thee. My Father, pardon me. I do not 
deserve pity. The more bountiful Thou hast been 
to me, the more have I treated Thee with ingrati- 
tude. Ah ! my God ! through that goodness which 
did not allow Thee to abandon me when I fled from 
Thee, receive me, now that I return to Thee ! 



3t tf)C ^Qittis J3ci. 

H ! restore me Thy peace, O God of my soul ! 
not through my merits, for which nothing 
else is due to me but punishment and hell, 
but through the merits of Thy Son and my Redeem- 
er, in which I place all my hopes. For the love of 
Jesus Christ, receive me into favor, and give me per- 
severance in Thy love. Banish from me all impure 
affections, and draw me entirely to Thyself. I love 
Thee, O Supreme Good ! I love Thee, O Sovereign 
Lover of souls ! Who art worthy of infinite love. 
Oh ! that I had always loved Thee ! 




tfjc Ccrmmuumt. 

Whilst the Priest communicates, make a spiritual communion, 
saying" : 

|y Jesus, I love Thee, and I long for Thee in 
my soul. I embrace Thee, and wish never 
more to be separated from Thee. I re- 
nounce, for Thy sake, all the pleasures that the 
world can give me, and I resolve to forfeit my life 
rather than lose Thy grace. Tell me what I must 
do in order to please Thee ; I wish to neglect no 
means of doing so. What pleasure, what honors, 
what riches can I seek ? I wish only for Thee, my 
God, my joy, my glory, my treasure, my life, my 



1 68 Pious Exercises for Eve?y Week. 



love, my all. Give me, O Lord ! strength to be faith- 
ful to Thee. Give me grace to love Thee, and then 
do with me what Thou pleasest. 



&t tfje last JPragers* 

Saviour! I hope Thou wilt admit me among 
Thy children. I am not worthy to be called 

Thy child after having so often insulted 

Thee to Thy face. But I know that Thou goest in 
search of the strayed sheep, and that Thou feelest 
consolation in embracing Thy lost children. My 
dear Father ! I am sorry for having offended Thee. 
I cast myself at Thy feet, and embrace them ; I will 
not depart till Thou pardon and bless me. 



LESS me, O my Father ! and let the fruit of 
Thy benediction be a great sorrow for my 
sins, and a great love for Thee. I love Thee, 

my Father ! I love Thee with my whole heart. 
Do not permit me ever more to depart from Thee. 
Deprive me of all, but take not from me Thy love. 

O Mary ! if God is my Father, thou art my Mother. 
Do thou also bless me. I do not deserve to be Thy 
child; accept me for Thy servant; but make me a 
servant who will always love thee tenderly, and al- 
ways confide in thy protection. 

My afflicted Mother ! by the merit of thy sorrows 
at the foot of the cross, obtain for me true sorrow for 
my sins, and an ardent love for Jesus, my Redeemer. 
Ah ! by the sword that pierced thy heart when thou 
didst see Him bow His head and give up the ghost, 

1 pray thee to assist me at the hour of death, and 
then to obtain for me eternal salvation, so that I 
may love thee forever in heaven, with thine adorable 
Son Jesus. 




Friday — Prayers during Mass, 



169 



Steps of tfje passion* 

Y sweetest Jesus, Who, while praying in the 
Garden, didst sweat blood, wast in agony, 
— I and didst suffer a sorrow so great as would 
suffice to cause Thee death, have mercy on us. 
R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. 
My sweetest Jesus, Who was betrayed by Judas 
with a kiss, and delivered over into the hands of 
Thine enemies, and then wast taken prisoner by 
them, and bound, and abandoned by Thy disciples, 
have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

My sweetest Jesus, declared by the council of the 
Jews guilty of death, and in the house of Caiphas 
blindfolded with a piece of cloth, and then buffeted, 
spit on, and derided, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

My sweetest Jesus, led away as a malefactor to 
Pilate, and then turned into ridicule by Herod, and 
treated as a madman, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

My sweetest Jesus, stripped of Thy garments, 
bound to the pillar, and so cruelly scourged, have 
mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

My sweetest Jesus, crowned with thorns, covered 
with a red mantle, buffeted, and in mockery saluted 
as King of the Jews, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

My sweetest Jesus, rejected by the Jews, placed 
lower than Barabbas, and then unjustly condemned 
by Pilate to die upon a cross, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

My sweetest Jesus, laden with the wood of the 
cross, and like an innocent lamb led away unto 
death, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 



170 Pious Exercises for Every Week, 



My sweetest Jesus, nailed to the cross between 
two thieves, ridiculed and blasphemed, and for three 
hours suffering an agony of the most horrible tor- 
ments, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 
. My sweetest Jesus, dead upon the cross, in sight 
of Thy holy Mother, transfixed in Thy side with the 
spear, from whence there issued forth blood and 
water, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

My sweetest Jesus, taken down from the cross, 
and placed in the bosom of Thine afflicted Mother, 
have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

My sweetest Jesus, Who, torn with stripes and 
bearing the marks of Thy five wounds, wast laid in 
the sepulchre, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, etc. 

V. Surely He hath borne our infirmities. 

R. And He hath carried our sorrows. 

Let ms Pray, 
God, Who, for the redemption of the world, 
didst will to be born, to be circumcised, re- 
jected by the Jews, betrayed by the traitor 
Judas with a kiss, bound with cords, led as an inno- 
cent lamb to the sacrifice, and with so many insults 
taken before Annas, Caiphas, Pilate, and Herod, 
accused by false witnesses, beaten with scourges and 
buffetings, overwhelmed with ignominies, spit upon, 
crowned with thorns, smitten with the reed, blind- 
folded, stripped of Thy raiments, fastened with nails 
to the cross, lifted up on the cross, numbered 
amongst thieves, drenched with gall and vinegar, 
and wounded with the spear — do Thou, Lord, by 
these sacred pains, which I, unworthy as I am, dare 
to venerate, and by Thy holy cross and death, de- 
liver me from the pains of hell, and vouchsafe to 



Friday — Prayers during Mass. 



171 



conduct me whither Thou didst conduct the thief 
that was crucified with Thee : Thou Who livest and 
reignest with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever 
and ever. Amen. So do I hope., and so may it be. 



drawer to i&aro. 1 

To obtain the love of Jesus and Mary. 

|ary, of all creation the noblest, highest, purest, 
fairest, holiest work of God ! O, that all 
men knew thee and loved thee, my Queen, as 
thou deservest to be loved ! Yet great is my consola- 
tion, Mary, that so many blessed souls in heaven, 
and so many just souls still on earth, are filled with 
love for thy beauty and goodness. But above all 
I rejoice in this, that God Himself loves thee alone 
more than all men and angels. I too, loveliest 
Queen, I, a miserable sinner, dare to love thee, 
mean though my love be. I would I had a greater 
love, a more tender love : this thou must gain for 
me, since to love thee is the surest mark of pre- 
destination, and a grace which God vouchsafes to 
the elect. Then, too, my Mother, when I reflect 
upon the debt I owe thy Son, I see that His love for 
me demands in return an immeasurable love. Do 
thou, who desirest nothing else than to see Him 
loved, pray that I may obtain this grace — a great 
love of Jesus Christ. Obtain it, thou who obtainest 
from God what thou wilt. Not goods of earth, nor 
honors, nor riches do I covet, but that which thine 
own heart desires most — to love my God alone. 
Oh ! can it be that thou wilt not aid me in a desire 
so acceptable to thee ? Impossible ! even now I feel 
thy help, even now thou prayest for me. Pray, 
Mary, pray; and never cease to pray till thou dost 
see me safe in paradise, sure of possessing and of 



1 See note page 134. 



172 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



loving my God and thee, my dearest Mother, for- 
ever and ever. Amen. 
Hail Mary, three times. 



Consecrated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 1 

Notice. — In 1866, Pius IX., of holy memory, wished to reinstate 
on our altars the venerable miraculous picture of Our Lady of Per- 
petual Help, which had been hidden away since the time of the 
French Revolution. It was to the Redemptorist church in Rome, 
dedicated to St. Alphonsus de Liguori, that he confided this precious 
treasure. Since that time thousands of conversions and miraculous 
cures have been obtained, not only in that privileged sanctuary, but 
also wherever copies of the original picture are exposed for veneration. 
Pious soul, procure yourself one of these pictures, which will be a 
pledge to you of the favors you will obtain from Heaven. In all 
your needs invoke the sweet Virgin there represented, for she loves 
to justify the consoling title bestowed upon her: Mother of Perpetual 
Help. 



Prayers during Mass. 

To obtain a good Death. 

iStttrot&o air altare Weu 

infinite Goodness! O infinite Mercy! O 



infinite Love ! O God of my soul ! Since it 



I P™^ ! was Thy will that the object most dear to 
Thy Heart should die for me, I offer to Thee in my 
own behalf that great sacrifice of Himself which 
this Thy Son made Thee on the cross, and is now 
about to renew on the altar. For the sake of His 
merits I pray Thee to give me the pardon of my 
sins, Thy love, and Thy paradise. Great as are these 
graces which I ask of Thee, the offering which I pre- 
sent unto Thee is greater still. For the love of Jesus 
Christ, O my Father, pardon me and save me. 



1 See Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Part IV., Art. 4. 



SATURDAY. 




Saturday — Prayers during Mass. 173 



E ternal Father ! look not on me, but behold 
Thy beloved Son, Who asks mercy for me ; 

■ ■ hear Him, I pray Thee, and pardon me. I 

ought at this moment to be in hell without any hope 
of being ever more able to love Thee, or to recover 
Thy lost grace. My God ! I am sorry above all 
things for the injury I have done Thee in renouncing 
Thy friendship and despising Thy love for the sake 
of the miserable pleasures of the world. Oh ! why 
had I not rather have died a thousand times ! 



Gloria m 2£rcelsts jBto. 

my God ! this body by which I have so much 
offended Thee must one day be reduced to 
worms and rottenness ! This does not afflict 
me ; on the contrary, I rejoice that this flesh of mine, 
which has made me lose Thee, my Sovereign Good, 
will one day decay and be consumed. What grieves 
me is that, to indulge in these wretched pleasures, 
I have so greatly offended Thee. 

^remits* 



O Thou, my Jesus, for the sake of the merits of 
Mary's sorrows and Thy sufferings, have 
mercy upon me, and grant me the grace of 
dying for Thee, as Thou hast died for me. " May I 
die, O my Lord," I will say unto Thee, with St. 
Francis of Assisi, " for love of the love of Thee, Who 
hast vouchsafed to die for love of the love of me !" 

IBuxtiiQ tfje IBpistlz. 

j]Y brother, if you wish to live well, spend the 
remaining days of your life with death before 
your eyes. " O death, thy sentence is welcome' 1 



(Ecclus. xli. 3). O how correct are the judgments, 
how well directed the actions, of him whose judgments 



174 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



are formed, and whose conduct is regulated in view 
of death ! The thought of death detaches the heart 
from all worldly objects. All the goods of this earth 
are reduced to the pleasures of sense, to riches and 
to honors. But all these are most despicable in the 
eyes of a man who reflects that he will soon be re- 
duced to ashes, and that he will soon be buried in 
the earth to be the food of worms. 



HBttrhtg tije Gospel antr tf)e <&reetr* 

j|T is a question of eternity : " If the tree fall to 
the south or to the north, in which place so- 
ever it shall fall, there shall it lie" (Eccles. xi. 
3). If, when death comes, we are found in the grace 
of God, oh ! with what joy shall we say : I have 
secured all ; I can never again lose God ; I shall be 
happy forever. But, if death finds the soul in 
sin, with what despair will it exclaim : Ergo erravi- 
mus ! — therefore have I erred ; and for my error there 
will be no remedy for all eternity ! When the news 
of his approaching death was brought to the vener- 
able John of Avila, apostle of Spain, his fear of an 
unhappy eternity made him exclaim, " Oh, that I 
had a little more time to prepare for death !" 

<&x tf)t <£ffertor£* 

unite my intention with that of the minister 
of Thy altar, my God, and offer Thee the 
Lamb without spot in expiation of my sins 
and of those of the whole world. Behold the divine 
Lamb which Thou didst once behold immolated on 
the altar of the cross to Thy glory and for our salva- 
tion. For the love of this Victim so dear to Thee, do 
Thou apply His merits to my soul, and pardon me all 
my offences in the past ; I repent of them all with my 
whole heart, because by them I have offended Thee, 
Who art infinite Goodness. Behold, O my God ! I am 



Saturday — Prayers during Mass. 



i/5 



ready to embrace whatever death Thou dost destine 
for me. I now and for henceforth accept it, and I 
sacrifice my life in honor of Thy majesty, and also 
in expiation of my sins ; I willingly consent that my 
flesh should be devoured by worms and be reduced 
to dust, since through that flesh I have so often 
offended Thee. O my Jesus! I unite the pains I 
must suffer and my last agony to the sufferings and 
agony which Thou, my Saviour, didst suffer on the 
cross. I accept death with all the circumstances 
Thou mayest appoint ; I accept its time, whether it 
be near or distant ; I accept the manner, whether in 
bed or elsewhere, whether sudden or not, after a 
more or less painful illness, as may be best pleasing 
to Thee. In everything I resign myself to Thy holy 
will. Give me strength to suffer all with patience. 



[V^gjfHAT shall I render to the Lord for all the things 
[4aSJ t ^ iat ^ e natn rendered to me ? I will take the 
EiBg chalice of salvation !" (Ps. cxv. 12.) I thank 
Thee, O my God ! specially for the gift of faith 
declaring that I desire to die a child of the holy 
Catholic Church. I thank Thee for not having taken 
me from .ife when I was in sin. and for having so 
often pardoned me with so much mercy. I thank 
Thee for so many lights of grace with which Thou 
hast sought to draw me to Thy love. 

iDttrtuQ tfjc Canon* 

H, my Jesus ! wert Thou now to reward me 
according to my works, hell would be my lot. 
O God ! how often have I myself written 
the sentence of my condemnation to that place of 
torments;! I thank Thee for Thy patience in bear- 
ing with me so long. O God ! were I now obliged 
to appear before Thy judgment-seat, what account 




176 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



should I not have to render of my past life ! " Enter 
not into judgment with Thy servant." Ah, Lord ! wait 
for me a little longer, do not judge me yet. Wert 
Thou now to judge me, what would become of me ? 
Wait for me since Thou hast treated me so merci- 
fully hitherto ; grant me this new favor; infuse into 
my heart a great sorrow for my sins. I am sorry, 
O infinite Good, for having so often despised Thee. I 
love Thee above all things. Eternal Father, pardon 
me for the love of Jesus Christ ; and through His 
merits grant me holy perseverance. My Jesus, I 
hope for all things from Thy Blood. 



eternal Father! through the merits of the 
obedience of Jesus Christ, Who died to obey 
Thee, grant that I may till death be obedient 
to all Thy wishes. I love Thee, O Sovereign Good ! 
and through the love which I bear Thee, I desire to 
obey Thee. Give me holy perseverance, give me 
Thy love, I ask nothing more. 

Ah, my Jesus and my Redeemer, Who wilt be one 
day my Judge, pardon me before that day arrives. 
Thou art now a Father to me ; then, like a Father, 
receive me into Thy friendship, for am I not a son 
who casts himself with sorrow at Thy feet ? My 
Father, I ask pardon. I have offended Thee ; I have 
unjustly forsaken Thee; Thou didst not deserve 
such treatment from me. I repent of it; I am sorry 
for it with my whole heart. " Turn not away Thy face 
from me do not cast me off as I have deserved. 
Remember the Blood which Thou hast shed for me, 
and have pity on me. My Jesus, I wish for no 
other judge than Thee. I willingly submit to the 
judgment of Him Who died for me, and Who, that 
He might not condemn me, did condemn Himself 
to the cross. 




Saturday — Prayers during Mass, 177 



&t tjje $ater Woster* 

pray Thee, Lord, to grant me the favor of 
dying after I shall have received the holy 
Viaticum, so that, united with Thee, I may 
present myself at Thy tribunal. I do not deserve to 
hear from Thy mouth : " Well done, good and faithful 
servant ; because thou hast been faithful in a few 
things, I will set thee over many things ; enter into 
the joy of thy Lord." I do not deserve it, for in nothing 
have I been perfectly faithful to Thee ; but Thy death 
gives me hope that I shall be admitted to heaven, 
to love Thee there eternally, with all my powers. 

Y Jesus, in the Day of Judgment, do not sepa- 
rate me from Thee. O Agony of Jesus ! from 
thee I hope to bear peacefully the agony of 
my death. O Wounds of Jesus ! from you I hope to 
love Jesus forever. O Blood of Jesus ! from thee I 
hope for the pardon of all my sins. O Scourges of 
Jesus ! deliver me from everlasting despair. O Death 
of Jesus ! from thee I hope for a good death. O 
tears of Mary ! obtain for me sorrow for my sins. 
My own St. Joseph, by thy happy death obtain for 
me a good death. For what do I wish either in this 
life or the next, but for Thee alone, my God ! 

Spiritual Communion* 

jlOME then, O Lord ! come and take possession 
of my heart ; close its doors forever, that 
henceforward no creature may enter there 
to divide the love which is due to Thee. My Jesus, 
receive me into Thy Heart, and there inflame me 
with Thy holy love. Ah, my Jesus, when will the 
day arrive that shall free me from all danger of los- 
ing Thee, that shall consume me with love, by un- 
veiling before my eyes Thine infinite beauty, so that 



178 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



I shall be under the necessity of loving Thee ? Oh, 
sweet necessity ! oh, happy and dear and most de- 
sired necessity, which shall relieve me from all fear 
of evermore displeasing Thee, and shall oblige me to 
love Thee with all my strength ! My conscience 
alarms me, and says : " How canst thou presume to 
enter heaven ?" But, my dearest Redeemer, Thy 
merits are all my hope. 

r fg^g]H, my beloved Jesus ! during these remaining 
years of my life, give me strength to do some- 
thing for Thee before I die. Give me strength 
against all temptations, and against my passions, but 
particularly against the passion which has hitherto 
most violently drawn me to sin. Give me patience 
in all infirmities, and under all the injuries which I 
receive from men. I now, for the love of Thee, par- 
don all who have shown me any contempt, and I beg 
of Thee to bestow on them the graces which they 
stand in need of. Give me strength to be more dili- 
gent in avoiding even venial faults, about which I 
have been hitherto negligent. My Saviour ! assist 
me. I hope for all graces through Thy merits. 

gtt tfje Kte iHtssa 3B$t. 

Y beloved Jesus, would that I too could say in 
dying, " Lord, I have fulfilled all ; I have ac- 
complished all that Thou hast given me to 
do ; I have borne my cross with patience ; I have 
striven to please Thee in all things." 

Pitting tfje Hast €£ospcL 

Mary, by the merits of thy precious death, 
obtain for me detachment from all earthly 
objects, the pardon of my sins, love of God 
and holy perseverance ; and when the hour of my 



Saturday — Prayers duri?ig Mass. 179 



death shall arrive, do thou assist me from heaven 
with thy prayers, and obtain for me the happiness 
of embracing thy feet in paradise. O holy Virgin ! 
help me at the moment of my death ; "holy Mary, 
Mother of God, pray for me a sinner, now and at the 
hour of my death." 

St. Joseph, my protector, obtain for me a holy 
death. My guardian angel, St. Michael the Arch- 
angel, defend me from the Evil One in that last con- 
flict. My holy patrons, and all ye saints in paradise, 
succor me in that last hour. Jesus, Mary and Joseph, 
be with me at the hour of my death. Amen. 

SLtttle Eeatrs of tfje Entmaculate Conception. 

These beads are divided into three parts, and are 
said as follows : 

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, 
Amen. First part. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Concep- 
tion of the ever Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Father once, Hail Mary 
four times. Glory be, once. The same prayers are repeated for the 
second and third parts. 1 

ISrawer to iHar»* 2 

To obtain her Protection. 

my most holy Mother! on the one hand I see 
the graces thou hast obtained for me; and 



on the other, the ingratitude I have shown 
thee. The ungrateful are unworthy of all favors; 
yet not for this will I distrust thy mercy. Great 
advocate, have pity on me. Thou, Mary, dost bestow 
even* grace which God vouchsafes to us sinners, and 
therefore did He make thee mighty, rich, and kind, 
that so thou mightest succor us. I wish to save my 
soul. In thy hands I place my eternal welfare ; to 

1 300 days indulgence each time ; and if recited daily for a month, 
a plenary indulgence on one day at choice, on the usual conditions. 
(Tune 22, 1857.) 

2 See note, page 134. 



180 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



thee I intrust my soul. I wish to be of those who 
are thy special servants : cast me not, then, away. 
Thou art ever seeking the wretched, to console them . 
Do not abandon a wretched sinner who has recourse 
to thee. Speak for me, Mary : thy Son grants what 
thou askest. Take me under thy protection, and it 
is enough ; because, with thee to guard me, I fear no 
ill. No, not my sins, because thou wilt obtain God's 
pardon for them : nor the devils, because thou art 
far mightier than hell : nor my Judge, Jesus Christ, 
for, at thy prayer, He will lay aside His wrath. Pro- 
tect me, then, my Mother; obtain for me pardon of 
my sins, love for Jesus, holy perseverance, a good 
death, and paradise. It is true, I merit not these 
graces ; yet do thou only ask them of our God, and 
lo ! they shall be mine. Pray, then, to Jesus for me. 
Mary, my Queen, in thee I trust ; in this trust I rest, 
I live ; in this trust I hope to die. Amen. 

Hail Mary, three times, and also the Litany of the 
Blessed Virgin, on account of its being Saturday. 



Bjantltittmts to Hilary 

Mary, I give myself entirely to thee ; accept 
me as thy servant, and watch over me. 

O my Queen, do thou hold the arm of thy 
Son, that He may never repulse me. 

O Mary, may my heart never cease to love thee, 
nor my tongue to praise thee. 

O my Sovereign, in the name of thy love for Jesus, 
help me to love Him. 

O Mother of God, preserve me from falling again 
into sin. 

O my Sovereign, obtain for me that I may rather 
die than lose the grace of God. 

O Mary, Mother of God, and my Mother, I venerate 
thee. Would that all hearts revered thee as thou 
dost deserve on account of thy greatness. 



Saturday — Prayers during Mass. 



181 



Most beautiful Mary, Mother worthy of all love, 
thou didst win God's heart ; ah ! take my poor heart 
and make me holy. 

O my Queen and my Mother, I would that, even 
at the price of all my blood, I could make all the 
nations of the earth to love and honor thee as thou 
dost deserve. All-powerful Virgin, thou canst make 
me a saint ; I place my trust in thee. 

O Mary, console us always, but principally at the 
hour of our death ; do thou then take our souls and 
present them, thyself, to thy divine Son, Who is to 
judge us. 

My Sovereign, abandon me not, but be with me till 
death. 

Holy Mary, my advocate, pray for me. 
In thee, O Mary, have I placed all my hopes. * 
It is impossible, O sweet Sovereign, that thou 
shouldst abandon any one who puts his trust in thee. 

fcttbocations to cur 2Latn> of JSrnpetual 3^elp» 

Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, in thee I 
place all my confidence : I pray thee, come 
to my aid. 

Advocate of all sinners who have recourse to 
thee, 

Salutary balm that cureth our wounds, 
Generous co-operatrix in our redemption, 
Faithful dispenser of the treasures of the 

Heart of Jesus, 

Hope of those who have lost all hope, 
Valiant woman, the terror of hell. 
Safe and certain guide in the path of virtue, 
Hostelry ever open 4x> the miserable, 
Most perfect ideal of maternal goodness, 
Joy of those whose hearts are mourning in this 

valley of tears, 

Light of souls that wish to leave the ways of 

sin, 



s 



1 82 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Mediatrix whose prayers are always heard, 

Noble instrument of which God makes use to 
multiply His wonders, 

Olive tree of ravishing beauty whence the oil 
of mercy abundantly flows, 

All-powerful and compassionate protectress of 
the unfortunate, 

Certain refuge of all sinners, 

Salvation of all who invoke thee, 

Treasury within which all the treasures of holi- 
ness are contained, 

Only immaculate flower in the Church's garden, 

Virgin Mother who rendereth all thy servants 
chaste, 

Indefatigable promoter of the work of our 
salvation, 

V. Thou hast become our refuge, O Mary. 
R. Our aid in our necessities and tribulations. 

Let us Pray. 

Almighty and merciful God, Who hast enabled 
us to venerate the picture of Thy beloved Mother 
under the special title of Mother of Perpetual 
Help, grant, we beseech Thee, that, amidst all the 
vicissitudes of this life, we may be covered by 
the constant protection of the immaculate and ever 
virgin Mary, so that we may merit the fruits of Thine 
eternal redemption. Thou Who liveth and reigneth 
forever and ever. Amen. 



Devotions for Confession. 183 



2. Bevottons for Confession. 



Christian soul, it is well to make choice of a good confessor, and to 
follow his direction in all spiritual matters. Nor should he be left 
without a good reason. St. Philip Neri spoke thus: " Let those 
who are desirous of advancing in the way of God put themselves 
under an enlightened confessor ; and let them obey him, as occupying 
the place of God. Whoever does this may feel assured that he will 
never have to render an account to God of what he does." And this 
is only conformable to the words of Jesus Christ, that whosoever hears 
His minister hears Himself. " He that heareth you heareth Me" (Luke 
x. 16). A general confession should be made, if it has not hitherto 
been made, for it is a most excellent means of bringing one's life into 
good order; and it is advisable to make it to the director himself, 
that he may be the better able to guide us. 

before Confession* 

To prepare ourselves well for confession, we should retire from 
every external source of distraction, go either to a church or to an 
oratory, place ourselves in the presence of God, and make the follow- 
ing act : 

Act of Adoration. 

upreme and adorable Majesty, God of heaven 
and earth, I firmly believe that Thou art 

■ 1 present, and that Thou seest me and know- 

est the dispositions of my heart. I adore Thee and 
render Thee my humble homage, acknowledging 
Thee for my God, my Creator, and my Sovereign 
Redeemer. In testimony of this my faith, I pros- 
trate my soul and body before the throne of Thy in- 
finite Majesty, and offer Thee the adoration which is 
due to Thee alone. 

lEramtnatton of Conscience* 

We ought to represent each approaching confession to ourselves as 
the last one of our life, and dispose ourselves to make it as one would 
do who was at the point of death. We should ask God for the grace 
to make well the examination of conscience, and also for the neces- 
sary light to know well our sins. 



184 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Prayer for the Examination. 

Father of light ! Who enlightenest every 
man that comes into the world, send into 
my heart a ray of light, of love, and of sor- 
row, that I may know, detest, and confess the sins 
which I have committed against Thee. August 
Mother of my God, who art so charitable to sinners 
that desire to repent, assist me by thy intercession. 
My guardian angel, who has been a spectator of 
all my crimes, help me to discover the sins which I 
have committed against my God. All ye saints of 
heaven, pray for me that I may bring forth fruits 
of penance. 

Offering of the Examination. 

j]ESUS, my God and Saviour, I offer Thee the 
examination which I am going to make, that 
Thy divine justice may be glorified in it. I 
look to Thee with confidence for the grace to do it 
jWell, with a view of never again offending Thee. 
'Thus, therefore, I undertake it, in the spirit of chari- 
ty, in order to please Thee, and to accomplish Thy 
holy will, together with every intention that can 
procure Thee the greatest honor and glory. 

Here the penitent must beg-in the examination of his conscience. 
But it must be observed by persons of a timorous disposition, who 
often approach the sacraments, that their examination ought to be 
short and unaccompanied with disquietude and scrupulosity. It is 
sufficient for persons of this description to take a momentary view of 
the faults into which they are accustomed to fall, and then princi- 
pally to apply themselves to acts of devotion and contrition, which 
are always the most essential dispositions for this sacrament, and 
from which they may easily suffer their minds to be diverted by 
yielding to fears and anxiety. As for those who seldom approach 
the sacraments, it is their duty to devote sufficient time to a diligent 
examination of their conscience by calling to mind the duties of their 
state of life, so that they may perceive how they have failed in 
thought, word, and deed. This may be done by reading over leisurely 
and attentively the commandments of God and of the Church, to- 
gether with the seven capital sins. If they cannot call to mind the 
precise number of their sins, they must consider how often in the day 
or week they have sinned in each particular kind, and their confes- 



Devotions for Confession. 



185 



sion of them in this manner will satisfy the divine justice, which never 
obliges us to do what is morally impossible. We should take care 
to examine ourselves especially about the fault to which we are in- 
clined, and about the means that we should adopt to amend our lives. 
If there are but slight faults to be confessed, it will be useful to re- 
peat some graver sin of the past life so as to have matter for absolu- 
tion. 

* JMttctjjal $owts of Hratmnatton far t$o$t tojo 
hut BtlXxom fio to Confession* 

Refusing to believe what is taught by the Church ; having doubts 
about it ; being ashamed of avowing that we believe ; exposing our- 
selves to the danger of losing our faith by consorting with unbeliev- 
ers or reading dangerous books ; speaking against religion, the 
Church, or her ministers ; giving way to despair; to discouragement, 
to a want of confidence in God's providence or His mercy. Indulg- 
ing in presumption, by hoping to be saved without praying, or to 
obtain mercy without abandoning sin ; by presumption in God's 
goodness, doing evil, or deferring conversion, or rashly exposing our- 
selves to occasions of sin. Being superstitious. Sinning by sacrilege 
either as regards a person consecrated to God, or as regards holy 
places or things; at confession, hiding some mortal sin, having no 
contrition, no firm purpose of amendment, neglecting prayer, etc. 

Making false oaths; uttering blasphemy, imprecations, curses; 
violating vows; swearing falsely or missing Mass, or working on 
Sundays and holidays of obligation ; behaving irreverently in 
church, or failing in the respect, love, obedience and succor due to 
our parents. Neglecting the education and correction of children ; 
not watching over them ; not teaching them to pray; sending them 
to schools, workshops, or houses where their faith and morals are 
in danger; not keeping them from all occasions of sin, such as bad 
books, dangerous amusements, parties, or friendships. If married, 
sinning by disagreement, jealousy, infidelity, criminal actions op- 
posed to the sanctity and end of marriage. Being wanting in respect, 
obedience, fidelity, honesty towards employers. Allowing those in 
our service to do wrong; inciting them to do so; not paying them 
their due. Neglecting the duties of our state in life, etc. 

Causing or wishing evil to our neighbor, to ourselves ; indulging 
in gluttony, in drunkenness ; wounding or striking any one ; sinning 
through hatred, anger, resentment, vengeance or wish for vengeance, 
envy, jealousy, scandal, etc. 

Offending against purity by thoughts, desires, words, songs, books, 
reading, writing, pleasures, games, familiarities, guilty actions. When 
necessary, attendant circumstances that change the nature of this 
sin must be recounted. Offending God by thefts, fraud, usury; not 
restoring ill-gotten goods ; not repairing any damage we may have 
caused ; not paying our debts when we are able to do so ; wasting 
or spoiling our neighbor's goods; taking part in the injustice of 
others, etc. 

Sinning through false testimony, lies, slander, calumny, injurious 
language, malicious reports ; ill-natured interpretation of the actions 



1 86 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



and intentions of others ; rash judgments ; unjust suspicions ; reveal- 
ing the secrets confided to us ; injuring - the reputation or honor 
of our neighbor and not making reparation, etc. 

Neglecting the Easter duty. Transgressing the fast or abstinence 
without a legitimate reason, etc. 



i&ottbcs of Contrition* 

I . The Greatness and Sanctity of God, 

Reflect that sin, however trifling it may be, greatly offends Al- 
mighty God, and is an insult to the infinite perfections of Him Whose 
greatness knows no limits, and Who is consequently deserving of 
infinite love. By sin you displease One Who loves you most tenderly. 
Oh, reflect well on this, and you will discover how base, how cruel, 
how unreasonable it is to offend Him. But, alas ! we shall never 
during this life be able fully to comprehend the entire malice even of 
a venial sin, or know what punishment is deserved by him who com- 
mits it. 



An Act of Contrition. 

■ MY God, Who art worthy of infinite love ! I 
acknowledge that my sins are multiplied 
— beyond the number of the hairs of my head, 
or the grains of sand on the sea shore. But, if I had 
committed only one, by committing it I have offended 
Thy infinite perfections. Oh ! why then is not my 
heart penetrated with infinite grief and regret? I 
have sinned against Thy goodness, which I ought 
ever to have loved. A vile creature, a petty honor, 
a miserable pleasure, some vain interest, has been 
preferred by me to Thy sovereign majesty, which I 
ought to have adored, served, and honored. Ah ! 
my God, pardon my sins. O infinite Beauty, infinite 
Goodness ! how could I have the audacity to insult 
and dispise Thee ? But I now heartily repent of 
my ingratitude and disloyalty; I wish sincerely that 
I had never offended Thee, and resolve never to 
offend Thee again. Yes, I had rather sacrifice all, 
that I possess, and forfeit my honor and my life, 
than ever more offend so good a God. 



Devotions for Confession. 



i8 7 



2. The benefits of God. 

Reflect that God is our sovereign Benefactor, Who has bestowed 
upon us innumerable benefits, both general and particular. He has 
drawn us out of nothing, and formed us in His own image and like- 
ness without being in any need of us : we are continually dependent 
on Him for our preservation. He has redeemed us with the price 
of the Blood of His Son ; He has made us Christians in preference to 
thousands of others whom He has left in the darkness of infidelity ; 
He has borne with us in our sins until the present time ; He has given 
us many and easy means of saving our souls ; and still we repay all 
His mercies with ingratitude. He has created all creatures for our 
benefit, and the only use which we make of them is to offend Him. 

An Act of Contrition. 

H, how great has been my ingratitude ! There 
is, there can be, none equal to it. O my 
amiable Saviour ! is this the recompense that 
I have made Thee for having drawn me out of the 
abyss of nothing in which I should still be, were it 
not for Thee ? Is this the value that I set upon the 
precious Blood of Thy veins, spilt with so much 
pain and love for me? Ungrateful creature that I 
am ! who will give sighs to my heart and tears to 
my eyes, that I may bewail, as I ought, the insults 
which I have offered to my God, my sovereign Bene- 
factor? O God of goodness, have mercy on me. I 
greatly desire, and firmly resolve, never to offend 
Thee more. Ah ! why was I born to receive so many 
benefits from my God, and still to offend Him so 
often and so grievously as I have done ? How could 
I employ in offending Him the hands, the feet, the 
tongue, the ears, the heart which He gave me to use 
in His service ? O unhappy eyes ! O criminal hands ! 
O unfaithful heart! you, by your sins, have been the 
cause of the pains, the torments, and the cruel death 
which the Son of God suffered upon the cross. 

3. The presence of God. 

Reflect that the Most Blessed Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy 
Ghost, the only and almighty God, is everywhere present, that He 
sees all things, knows all things, and penetrates the inmost and most 
secret thoughts of our heart. He is. that divine and infinite majesty 




1 88 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



before Whom the highest Seraphim tremble with a holy fear, and 
veil their faces through respect ; and we have the audacity to sin in 
His presence ; to say, to do,* and to think what, if known, would 
cover us with confusion before the meanest of men. Reflect, more- 
over, that this God before Whom we sin is our sovereign Judge, 
Who at the moment of our death will inevitably pass sentence upon 
the thoughts, the words, the actions of which we may be found guilty. 



An Act of Contrition. 

|pg||UPREME and just Judge of the living and the 
dead, Thou Who seest and knowest all things, 
^ even those very secrets that pass in the in- 
terior of my heart, and which I would not have 
known to any creature upon earth, is it possible that 
I should dare to appear in Thy presence after having 
been so unfaithful to Thee ! Alas ! I cannot fly from 
Thee, because Thou art present everywhere. I can- 
not hide myself from Thy view, because Thou seest 
all things. Ah ! has not my insolence been insupport- 
able in having dared, in the presence of Thy exalted 
majesty, before Whom the purest angels cover their 
faces, to do what I would not have done before the 
meanest and the least of men ? O my God, have 
mercy on me : I detest with my whole heart all my 
sins for the love of Thee. O my God ! I am covered 
with shame and confusion when I reflect that I have 
lived in Thy presence with so little regard and 
respect, and that I have so often broken the pro- 
testations that I have made never to offend Thee 
more. O God ! if I had made so many promises to 
any creature upon earth, how much should I feel 
ashamed at having broken my word ! But, where 
Thou art concerned, I pay little regard to my resolu- 
tions, since I daily insult Thee before Thine eyes. 
Oh, how great is Thy goodness in having borne with 
me so long ! O God of my heart ! since Thou hast 
dealt mercifully with me in the course of my most 
heinous crimes, do not withdraw Thy mercy now 
that I repent of all my disloyalties. 



The Penitential Psalms, 



189 



BLittv ^onfrsstott* 

dear Jesus, how much do I not owe Thee! 
By the merits of Thy Blood I hope that I 
I have this day been pardoned, I thank Thee 
above all things. I hope to reach heaven, where I 
shall praise Thy mercies forever. My God, if I have 
hitherto lost Thee so often, I now desire to lose 
Thee no more. From this day forward I will change 
my life in earnest. Thou dost merit all my love ; I 
will love Thee truly; I will no longer see myself 
separated from Thee. I have promised Thee this 
already; now I repeat my promise of being ready to 
die rather than offend Thee again. I promise also 
to avoid all occasions of sin, and to use such means 
as will prevent me from falling again. My Jesus, 
Thou knowest my weakness ; give me grace to be 
faithful to Thee till death, and to have recourse to 
Thee when I am tempted. 

Most holy Mary, help me ! ' Thou art the Mother 
of perseverance ; I place my hope in thee. 



Sbe penitential psalms. 

1 . JBsalm 6. TBomint, tie tit furore* 

^Lord, rebuke me not in Thy indignation, nor 
chastise me in Thy wrath. 
2. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am 
weak :heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 

3. And my soul is troubled exceedingly : but 
Thou, O Lord, how long ? 

4. Turn to me, O Lord, and deliver my soul : O 
save me for Thy mercy's sake. 

5. For there is no one in death that is mindful of 
Thee : and who shall confess to Thee in hell ? 

6. I have labored in my groanings, every night I 



190 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



will wash my bed : I will water my couch with my 
tears. 

7. My eye is troubled through indignation : I have 
grown old amongst all my enemies. 

8. Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity : for 
the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping. 

9. The Lord hath heard my supplication, the Lord 
hath received my prayer. 

10. Let all my enemies be ashamed, and be very 
much troubled : let them be turned back, and be 
ashamed very speedily. 

2. jpsalm 31. SSeatt quorum* 
[fej|||lessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven: 

lUni an< ^ wnose sms are covered. 

2. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord 
hath not imputed sin, and in whose spirit there is 
no guile. 

3. Because I was silent, my bones grew old, whilst 
I cried out all the day long. 

4. For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon 
me : I am turned in my anguish, whilst the thorn is 
fastened. 

5. I have acknowledged my sin to Thee, and my 
injustice I have not concealed. 

6. I said, I will confess against myself my injustice 
to the Lord : and Thou hast forgiven the wickedness 
of my sin. 

7. For this shall every one that is holy pray to 
Thee in a seasonable time. 

8. And yet in a flood of many waters, they shall 
not come nigh unto him. 

9. Thou art my refuge from the trouble which 
hath encompassed me : my joy, deliver me from 
them that surround me. 

10. I will give thee understanding, and I will in- 
struct thee in this way, in which thou shalt go : 
I will fix my eyes upon thee. 



The Penitential Psalms. 



191 



11. Do not become like the horse and the mule, 
that have no understanding. 

12. With bit and bridle bind fast their jaws, who 
come not near unto Thee. 

13. Many are the scourges of the sinner, but mer- 
cy shall encompass him that hopeth in the Lord. 

14. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye just, and 
glory all ye right of heart. 

3. iasalm 37. Somtur, tit in furore. 

Rebuke me not, O Lord, in Thy indignation, 
nor chastise me in Thy wrath. 
2. For Thy arrows are fastened in me : 
and Thy hand hath been strong upon me. 

3. There is no health in my flesh, because of Thy 
wrath : there is no peace for my bones, because of 
my sins. 

4. For my iniquities are gone over my head : and 
as a heavy burden are become heavy upon me. 

5. My sores are putriiied and corrupted, because 
of my foolishness. i 

6. I am become miserable, and am bowed down) 
even to the end : I walk sorrowful all the day long. 

7. For my loins are rilled with illusions : and there 
is no health in my flesh. 

8. I [am afflicted and humbled exceedingly : I 
roared with the groaning of my heart. 

9. Lord, all my desire is before Thee : and my 
groaning is not hid from Thee. 

10. My heart is troubled, my strength hath left 
me : and the light cf my eyes itself is not with me. 

11. My friends and my neighbors have drawn 
near, and stood against me. 

12. And they that were near me stood afar off: 
and they that sought my soul used violence. 

13. And they that sought evils to me spoke vain 
things : and studied deceits all the day long. 



192 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



14. But I, as a deaf man, heard not : and .was as a 
dumb man not opening his mouth. 

15. And I became as a man that heareth 'not : and 
that hath no reproofs in his mouth. 

16. For in Thee, O Lord, have I hoped : Thou wilt 
hear me, O Lord my God. 

17. For I said: Lest at any time my enemies re- 
joice over me : and whilst my feet are moved, they 
speak great things against me. 

18. For I am ready for scourges : and my sorrow 
is continually before me. 

19. For I will declare my iniquity: and I will 
think for my sin. 

20. But my enemies live, and are stronger than I : 
and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. 

21. They that render evil for good have detracted 
me, because I followed goodness. 

22. Forsake me not, O Lord my God : do not 
Thou depart from me. 

23. Attend unto my help, O Lord, the God of my 
salvation. 

4. 3Psalm 50. J&tserere, 



Miserere mei, Deus, 
secundum mag- 
— nam misericordi- 
am tuam. 

Et secundum multitu- 
dinem miserationum tua- 
rum, dele iniquitatem 
meam. 

Amplius lava me ab 
iniquitate mea, et a pec- 
cato meo munda me. 

Quoniam iniquitatem 
meam ego cognosco, et 
peccatum meum contra 
me est semper. 



IK'gBT] ave mercy on me, 
In ||| I O God, according 
lELsfeJj tQ great 

mercy. 

And according to the 
multitude of Thy ten- 
der mercies blot out my 
iniquity. 

Wash me yet more 
from my iniquity : and 
cleanse me from my sin. 

For I know my in- 
iquity : and my sin is al- 
ways before me. 



The Penitential Psalms. 



193 



Tibi soli peccavi, etjma- 
lum coram te feci ; ut 
justificeris in sermonibus 
tuis, et vincas cum judi- 
caris. 



Ecce enim in iniquita- 
tibus conceptus sum, et 
in peccatis concepit me 
mater mea. 

Ecce enim veritatem 
dilexisti ; incerta et oc- 
culta sapientiae tuse man- 
ifestasti mihi. 



Asperges me hyssopo, 
et mundabor; lavabis me, 
et super nivem dealba- 
bor. 

Auditui meo dabis gau- 
dium et laetitiam, et ex- 
ultabunt ossa humiliata. 



Averte faciem tuam a 
peccatis meis : et omnes 
iniquitates meas dele. 

Cor mundum crea in 
me, Deus : et spiritum 
rectum innova in visceri- 
bus meis. 

Ne projicias me a facie 
tua : et spiritum sanc- 
tum tuum ne auferas a 
me. 



To Thee only have I 
sinned, and have done 
evil before Thee : that 
Thou mayest be justified 
in Thy words, and mayest 
overcome when Thou art 
judged. 

For behold I was con- 
ceived in iniquities : and 
in sins did my mother 
conceive me. 

For behold Thou hast 
loved truth : the uncer- 
tain and hidden things 
of Thy wisdom Thou 
hast made manifest to 
me, 

Thou shalt sprinkle me 
with hyssop, and I shall 
be cleansed : Thou shalt 
wash me, and I shall be 
made whiter than snow. 

To my hearing Thou 
shalt give joy and glad- 
ness : and the bones that 
have been humbled shall 
rejoice. 

Turn away Thy face 
from my sins : and blot 
out all my iniquities. 

Create a clean heart 
in me, O God, and renew 
a right spirit within my 
bowels. 

Cast me not away 
from Thy face : and take 
not Thy 'holy Spirit from 
me. 



194 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Redde mihi laetitiam 
salutaris tui : et spiritu 
principali confirma me. 

Docebo iniquos vias 
tuas : et impii ad te con- 
vertentur. 

Libera me de sanguini- 
bus, Deus, Deus salutis 
meae : et exultabit lingua 
mea justitiam tuam. 

Domine, labia mea ape- 
ries: et os meum annun- 
tiabit laudem tuam. 

Quoniam si voluisses 
sacrificium, dedissem 
utique : holocaustis non 
delectaberis. 

Sacrificium Deo spiri- 
tus contribulatus : cor 
contritum et humiliatum, 
Deus, non despicies. 

Benigne fac, Domine, 
in bona voluntate tua Si- 
on : ut aedificentur muri 
Jerusalem. 

Tunc acceptabis sacri- 
ficium justitiae, oblatio- 
nes, et holocausta : tunc 
imponent super altare 
tuum vitulos. 



Restore unto me the 
joy of Thy salvation, 
and strengthen me with 
a perfect spirit. 

I will teach the un- 
just Thy ways : and the 
wicked shall be convert- 
ed to Thee. 

Deliver me from blood, 
O God, Thou God of my 
salvation : and my tongue 
shall extol Thy justice. 

O Lord, Thou wilt open 
my lips : and my mouth 
shall declare Thy praise. 

For if Thou hadst de- 
sired sacrifice, I would 
indeed have given it: with 
burnt-offerings Thou wilt 
not be delighted. 

A sacrifice to God 
is an afflicted spirit : a 
contrite and humbled 
heart, O God, Thou wilt 
not despise. 

Deal favorably, O Lord, 
in Thy good-will with 
Sion : that the walls of 
Jerusalem may be built 
up. 

Then shalt Thou ac- 
cept the sacrifice of jus- 
tice, oblations and whole 
burnt-offerings : then 
shall they lay calves upon 
Thy altar. 



The Penitential Psalms, 



195 



£>. $sartm 101. IBomuxe erautru 

■ EAR, O Lord, my prayer : and let my cry come 
to Thee. 
2. Turn not away Thy face from me : in 
the day when I am in trouble, incline Thy ear to me. 

3. In what day soever I shall call upon Thee : 
hear me speedily. 

4. For my days are vanished like smoke : and my 
bones are grown dry like fuel for the fire. 

5. I am smitten as grass, and my heart is withered : 
because I forgot to eat my bread. 

6. Through the voice of my groaning, my bone 
hath cleaved to my flesh. 

7. I am become like to a pelican of the wilderness ; 
I am like a night-raven in the house. 

8. I have watched, and am become as a sparrow 
all alone on the house-top. 

9. All the day long my enemies reproached me : 
and they that praised me did swear against me. 

10. For I did eat ashes like bread, and mingled 
my drink with weeping. 

11. Because of Thy anger and indignation: for 
having lifted me up Thou hast thrown me down. 

12. My days have declined like a shadow: and I 
am withered like grass. 

13. Bat Thou, O Lord, endurest forever: and Thy 
memorial to all generations. 

14. Thou shalt arise and have mercy on Sion ; for 
it is time to have mercy on it, for the time is come. 

15. For the stones thereof have pleased Thy ser- 
vants : and they shall have pity on the earth thereof. 

16. And the Gentiles shall fear Thy name, O Lord, 
and all the kings of the earth Thy glory. 

17. For the Lord hath built up Sion : and He shall 
be seen in His glory. 

18. He hath regard to the prayer of the humble : 
and He hath not despised their petition. 



196 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



19. Let these things be written unto another gene- 
ration : and the people that shall be created shall 
praise the Lord. 

20. Because He hath looked forth from His high 
sanctuary : from heaven, the Lord hath looked upon 
the earth. 

2i; That He might hear the groans of them that 
are in fetters : that He might release the children of 
the slain. 

22. That they may declare the name of the Lord 
in Sion : and His praise in Jerusalem. 

23. When the peoples assembled together and 
kings to serve the Lord. 

24. He answered him in the way of His strength: 
Declare unto me the fewness of my days. 

25. Call me not away in the midst of my days : 
Thy years are unto generation, and generation. 

26. In the beginning, O Lord, Thou foundedstthe 
earth : and the heavens are the works of Thy hands. 

27. They shall perish, but Thou remainest : and 
all of them shall grow old like a garment. 

28. And as a vesture Thou shalt change them, and 
they shall be changed : but Thou art always the 
self-same, and Thy years shall not fail. 

29. The children of Thy servants shall continue ' 
and their seed shall be directed forever. 

O. 3Psalnt 129. 2Be ^rofutrtrts, 

E profundis clama- 
| |ij vi ad te, Domine : 
* Domine exaudi 
vocem meam. 

Fiant aures tuas inten- 
dentes in vocem depre- 
cationis meae. 

Si iniquitates observa- 
veris, Domine; Domine 
quis sustinebit? 



|UT of the depths I 
have cried to 
Thee, O Lord : 
Lord ! hear my voice. 

Let Thy ears be at- 
tentive to the voice of 
my supplication. 

If Thou, O Lord, wilt 
mark iniquities : Lord, 
who shall stand ? 



The Penitential Psalms. 



197 



Quia apud te propitia- 
tio est ; et propter legem 
tuam sustinui te, Domi- 
ne. 

Sustinuit anima in ver- 
bo ejus : speravit anima 
mea in Domino. 

A custodia matutina 
usque ad noctem : speret 
Israel in Domino. 

Quia* apud Dominum 
misericordia : et copiosa 
apud eum redemptio. 

Et ipse redimet Israel 
ex omnibus iniquitatibus 
ejus. 



For with Thee there 
is merciful forgiveness : 
and by reason of Thy 
law. I have waited for 
Thee, O Lord. 

My soul hath relied 
on His word : my soul 
hath hoped in the Lord. 

From the morning 
watch even until night, 
let Israel hope in the 
Lord. 

Because with the Lord 
there is mercy : and 
with Him, plentiful re- 
demption. 

And He shall redeem 
Israel from all his in- 
iquities. 

Dentin r, rrautru 



Jisalm 142. 

|ear, O Lord, my prayer : give ear to my sup- 
plication in Thy truth : hear me in Thy jus- 
tice. 

2. And enter not into judgment with Thy servant : 
for in Thy sight no man living shall be justified. 

3. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul : he 
hath brought down my life to the earth. 

4. He hath made me to dwell in darkness as 
those that have been dead of old : and my spirit 
is in anguish within me : my heart within me is 
troubled. 

5. I remember the days of old. I meditated on all 
Thy works : I mused upon the works of Thy hands. 

6. I stretched forth my hands to Thee : my soul is 
as earth without water unto Thee. 

7. Hear me speedily, O Lord : my spirit hath 
fainted awav. 



198 Pious Exercises for Every Week, 



8. Turn not away Thy face from me : lest I be like 
unto them that go down into the pit. 

9. Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning : 
for in Thee have I hoped. 

10. Make the way known to me, wherein I should 
walk : for I have lifted up my soul to Thee. 

11. Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord, to Thee 
nave I fled : teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art 
my God. 

12. Thy good spirit shall lead me into the right 
land : for Thy name's sake, O Lord, Thou wilt 
quicken me in Thy justice. 

13. Thou wilt bring my soul out of trouble : and 
in Thy mercy Thou wilt destroy my enemies. 

14. And Thou wilt cut off all them that afflict my 
soul, for I am Thy servant. 



3* lEyercises for 1bol£ Communion. 



FIRST EXERCISE, 
preparation for Communion* 

St. Francis de Sales says that Our Saviour can never be seen more 
amiable and more tender, in all that He has done for us, than in the 
holy Communion, in which He, so to say, annihilates Himself and 
becomes food, that He may unite Himself to the hearts and bodies of 
His faithful. Therefore the learned Gerson used also to say that 
there was no means more efficacious than the holy Communion 
whereby to enkindle devotion and the holy love of God in our souls. 

And, indeed, if we speak of doing- something - agreeable to God, 
what can a soul do more agreeable to Him than to receive Com- 
munion ? St. Denis teaches us that love always tends towards perfect 
union ; but how can a soul be more perfectly united with Jesus than 
in the manner of which He speaks Himself, saying: " He that eateth 
My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, abideth in Me, and I in him" (St. 
John vi. 57). St. Augustine says that if every day you receive this 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



199 



Sacrament, Jesus will be always with you, and that you will always 
advance in divine love. 

Again, if there is question of healing our spiritual infirmities, what 
more certain remedy can we have than the holy Communion, which 
is called by the sacred Council of Trent " a remedy whereby we may 
be freed from daily faults, and be preserved from mortal sins." 

Whence does it come, asks Cardinal Bona, that in so many souls 
we see so little fruit with such frequent Communions, and that they 
constantly relapse into the same faults ? He replies : " The fault is 
not in the food, but in the disposition of him who receives." " Can 
a man." says Solomon, '"hide tire in his bosom, and his garments not 
burn?" (,Prov. vi. 27.) "God is a consuming fire." He comes 
Himself in the holy Communion to enkindle this divine fire; how is 
it, then, says William of Paris, that we see such a diabolical miracle 
as that souls should remain cold in divine love in the midst of such 
flames ? 

All comes from the want of proper dispositions, and especially 
from want of preparation. Fire immediately inflames dry. but not 
green, wood ; for this latter is not disposed to burn. The saints 
derived great benefit from their Communions, because they prepared 
themselves with very great care. St. Aioysius Gonzaga devoted 
three days to his preparation for holy Communion, and three days 
he spent in thanksgiving to his Lord. 

To prepare well for holy Communion, a soul should be disposed 
on two main points : it should be detached from creatures, and have 
a great desire to advance in divine love. 

In the first place, then, a soul should detach itself from all things, 
and drive everything from its heart which is not God. " He that is 
washed." says Jesus. " needeth not but to wash his feet, but is clean 
wholly" vSt. John xiii. 10); which signifies, as St. Bernard explains 
it, that in order to receive this Sacrament with great fruit, we should 
not only be cleansed from mortal sins, but that our feet also should 
be washed, that is, free from earthly affections ; for. being in contact 
with the earth, the}- excite a sort of repugnance in God, and. soiling 
the soul, prevent the effects of the holy Communion. 

St. Gertrude asked Our Lord what preparation He required of her 
for the holy Communion; and He replied: "I only ask that thou 
shouldst come empty of thyself, to receive Me." 

In the second place, it is necessary, in the holy Communion, to have 
a great desire to receive Jesus Christ and His holy love. In this 
sacred banquet, says Gerson, only those who are famishing receive 
their fi'.', ; and the most blessed Virgin Mary had already said the 
same thing: "He hath filled the hungry with good things" (St. 
Luke i. 53). As Jesus, wrues the venerable Father Avila, only came 
into this "world after He had been much and long desired, so does He 
DDly enter a soul which desires Him; for it is not becoming that 
such food should be given to him who has a loathing for iC Our 
Lord one da}- said to St. Matilda: " Xo bee flies with such impetuosity 
to flowers, to suck their honey, as I fly to souls in the holy Com- 
munion, driven by the violence of My love." Since, then, Jesus 
Christ has so great a desire to come into our souls, it is right that we 
also should have a great desire to receive Him and His divine love 
through the holy Communion. St. Francis de Sales teaches us that the 
principal object which a soul should have in view in communicating 



2oo Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



should be to advance in the love of God ; since He, Who, for love 
alone, gives Himself to us, should be received for love. 



^tts before (ftommmuott* 
r. Act of Faith. 

ehold, He cometh leaping upon the moun- 



tains, skipping over the hills" (Cant. ii. 8). 



Ah, my most amiable Saviour, over how 
many, what rough and craggy mountains hast Thou 
had to pass in order to come and unite Thyself to 
me by the means of this most holy Sacrament! 
Thou, from being God, hadst to become man ; from 
being immense, to become a babe ; from being Lord, 
to become a servant. Thou hadst to pass from the 
bosom of Thy eternal Father to the womb of a virgin ; 
from heaven into a stable ; from a throne of glory to 
the gibbet of a criminal. And on this very morning 
Thou wilt come from Thy seat in heaven to dwell in 
my bosom. 

" Behold He standeth behind our wall, looking 
through the windows, looking through the lattices" 
(Cant. ii. 9). Behold, O my soul, thy loving Jesus, 
burning with the same love with which He loved 
thee when dying for thee on the cross, is now con- 
cealed in the Most Blessed Sacrament under the 
sacred species ; and what doing ? " Looking through 
the lattices." As an ardent lover, desirous to see 
his love corresponded with, from the Host, as from 
within closed lattices, whence He sees withou t being 
seen, He is looking at you, who are this morning 
about to feed upon His divine flesh ; He observes 
your thoughts, what it is that you love, what you 
desire, what you seek for, and what offerings you are 
about to make Him. 

Awake, then, my soul, and prepare to receive thy 
Jesus ; and, in the first place, by faith, say to Him : 
So, then, my beloved Redeemer, in- a few moments 
Thou art coming to me ? O hidden God, unknown 




Exercises for Holy Communion. 201 



to the greater part of men, I believe, I confess, I 
adore Thee in the Most Holy Sacrament as my Lord 
and Saviour ! And in acknowledgment of this truth 
I would willingly lay down my life. Thou comest to 
enrich me with Thy graces and to unite Thyself all 
to me ; how great, then, should be my confidence in 
this Thy so loving visit ! 

2. Act of Confidence. 

Y soul, expand thy heart. Thy Jesus can do 
thee every good, and, indeed, loves thee. 
Hope thou for great things from this thy 
Lord, Who, urged by love, comes all love to thee. 
Yes, my dear Jesus, my Hope, I trust in Thy good- 
ness, that, in giving Thyself to me this morning, 
Thou wilt enkindle in my poor heart the beautiful 
flame of Thy pure love, and a real desire to please 
Thee ; so that, from this day forward, I may never 
will anything but what Thou wiliest. 

3. Act of Love. 

Jh, my God, my God, true and only Love of my 
soul, and what more couldst Thou have done 
to be loved by me ? To die for me was not 
enough for Thee, my Lord ; Thou wast pleased to 
institute this great Sacrament in order to give Thy- 
self all to me, and thus bind and unite Thyself heart 
to heart with so loathsome and ungrateful a creature 
as I am. And what is more, Thou Thyself invitest 
me to receive Thee, and desirest so much that I 
should do so ! O boundless love ! incomprehensible 
love ! infinite love ! a God would give Himself all 
to me ! 

My soul, believest thou this ? And what doest 
thou ? what sayest thou? O God, O God, O infinite 
amiability, only worthy object of all loves, I love 
Thee with my whole heart, I love Thee above all 



202 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



things, I love Thee more than myself, more than my 
life ! Oh, could I but see Thee loved by all ! Oh, 
could I but cause Thee to be loved by all hearts as 
much as Thou deservest! I love Thee, O most ami- 
able God, and I unite my miserable heart in loving 
Thee to the hearts of the Seraphim, to the heart of 
the most blessed Virgin Mary, to the Heart of Jesus, 
Thy most loving and beloved Son. So that, O Infinite 
Good, I love Thee with the love with which the 
saints, with which Mary, with which Jesus, love Thee. 
And I love Thee only because Thou art worthy of it, 
and to give Thee pleasure. Depart, all earthly affec- 
tions, which are not for God, depart from my heart. 
Mother of fair love, most holy Virgin Mary, help me 
to love that God Whom thou dost so ardently desire 
to see loved ! 



hen, my soul, thou art even now about to feed 



on the most sacred flesh of Jesus ! And art 



W®'™*\ thou worthy ? My God, and who am I, and 
Who art Thou ? I indeed know and confess Whom 
Thou art Who givest Thyself to me ; but dost Thou 
know what I am who am about to receive Thee ? 

And is it possible, O my Jesus, that Thou, Who art 
infinite purity, desirest to come and reside in this 
soul of mine, which has been so many times the 
dwelling of Thy enemy, and soiled with so many 
sins ? I know, O my Lord, Thy great majesty and 
my misery ; I am ashamed to appear before Thee. 
Reverence would induce me to keep at a distance 
from Thee ; but if I depart from Thee, O my Life, 
whither shall I go? to whom shall I have recourse? 
and what will become of me? No, never will I de- 
part from Thee ; nay, even I will ever draw nearer 
and nearer to Thee. Thou art satisfied that I should 
receive Thee as food, Thou even invitest me to this. 
I come then, O my amiable Saviour, I come to re- 



4. Act of Humility. 




Exercises for Holy Communion. 



203 



ceive Thee this morning, all humbled and confused 
at the sight of my defects ; but full of confidence in 
Thy tender mercy, and in the love which Thou 
bearest me. 



5. Act of Contrition. 

IE3F52II AM m deed grieved, O God of my soul, for not 
IS^PII having loved Thee during the time past; 
i^^ l still worse, so far from loving Thee, and to 
gratify my own inclinations, I have greatly offended 
and outraged Thy infinite goodness : I have turned 
my back against Thee, I have despised Thy grace 
and friendship; in fine, O my God, I was deliberately 
in the will to lose Thee. Lord, I am sorry, and 
grieve for it with my whole heart. I detest the sins 
which I have committed, be they gneat or small, as 
the greatest of all my misfortunes, because I have 
thereby offended Thee, O Infinite Goodness ! I 
trust that Thou hast already forgiven me ; but if 
Thou hast not yet pardoned me, oh, do so before I 
receive Thee : wash with Thy Blood this soul of 
mine, in which Thou art so soon about to dwell. 



6. Act of Desire. 

xd now, my soul, the blessed, hour is arrived 
in which Jesus will come and take up His 
dwelling in thy poor heart, Behold the King 
of heaven, behold thy Redeemer and God, Who is 
even now coming; prepare thyself to receive Him 
with love, invite Him with the ardor of thy desire; 
come, O my Jesus, come to my soul, which desires 
Thee. Before Thou givest Thyself to me, I desire 
to give Thee, and I now give Thee, my miserable 
heart; do Thou accept it, and come quickly to take 
possession of it. 

Come, my God ! hasten ; delay no longer. My 
only and infinite Good, my Treasure, my Life, my 




204 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Paradise, my Love, my All, my wish is to receive 
Thee with the love with which the most holy and 
loving souls have received Thee; with that with 
which the most blessed Virgin Mary received Thee ; 
with their Communions I unite this one of mine. 

Most holy Virgin and my Mother Mary, behold, I 
already approach to receive thy Son. Would that I 
had the heart and love with which Thou didst com- 
municate ! Give me this morning thy Jesus, as thou 
didst give Him to the shepherds and to the kings. 
I intend to receive Him from thy most pure hands. 
Tell Him that I am thy servant and thy client; for 
He will thus look upon me with a more loving eye, 
and, now that He is coming, will press me more 
closely to Himself. 

m &J)an&s£tbmg after (tommunion. 

There is no prayer more agreeable to God, or more profitable to 
the soul, than that which is made during the thanksgiving after 
Communion. It is the opinion of many grave writers (Suarez, Gae- 
tano, Valenza, De Lugo, and others) that the holy Communion, so 
long as the sacramental species lasts, constantly produces greater 
and greater graces in the soul, provided the soul is then constant in 
disposing itself by new acts of virtue. The Council of Florence, in 
the decree of Eugenius IV. to the Armenians, teaches that the 
Blessed Sacrament produces the same effect in the soul as material 
food, which, when it enters the body, takes effect according to the 
state in which it finds it. 

For this reason, holy souls endeavor to remain as long as possible 
in prayer after Communion. The Venerable Father Avila, even 
when he was giving his missions, used to remain for at least two 
hours in prayer. Father Balthasar Alvarez used to say that we 
should make great account of the time after Communion, imagining 
that we hear from the lips of Jesus Christ Himself the words which 
He addressed to His disciples : " But Me you have not always with 
you." 

It is not advisable, as many do, to begin to read immediately after 
Communion: it is then better to spend at least a short time in pro- 
ducing holy affections, and in conversing with Jesus, Who is then 
within us, and in repeating many times words of tenderness, or 
some feeling prayer. Jesus Christ repeated the same prayer in the 
garden three times: "And He prayed the third time, saying the self- 
same word " (St. Matt. xxvi. 44). In affections and prayers it is, 
then, that the soul should entertain itself with Jesus after Commun- 
ion ; for we must know that the acts formed in prayer after Com- 
munion are far more precious and meritorious in the sight of God 
than when made at another time ; for the soul being then united 



Exercises for Holy Comma n ion . 



with Jesus, the value of the acts is increased by the presence of 
Jesus." We should, moreover, know that after Communion Jesus 
Christ is more disposed to grant graces. St. Teresa says that after 
Communion Jesus places Himself in the soul as on a throne of grace, 
and then says: " What wiliest thou that I should do for thee ?" mean- 
ing. O soul. I am come for the express purpose of granting thee 
graces ; ask Me what thou wilt, and as much as thou wiliest, thou 
shalt receive all. 

Oh, what treasures of grace would you receive, devout soul, if you 
only entertained yourself with Jesus "for an hour, or at least half an 
hour, after Communion ! For this purpose you can read the follow- 
ing acts. Be also careful after your prayer is ended to keep yourself 
during the whole day on which you have communicated united by 
affections and prayers with Jesus.' Whom you have received. 

gfets aftrr (Communion. 
I. Act of Faith, 

ehold, my God is even now come to visit me : 
my Saviour to dwell in my soul. My Jesus 
is even now within me. He is come to make 
Himself mine, and at the same time to make me 
His. So that Jesus is mine, and I belong to Jesus : 
Jesus is all mine, and I am all His. 

O Infinite Goodness ! O Infinite Mercy ! O Infinite 
Love ! that a God should come to unite Himself to 
me, and to make Himself all mine! My soul, now 
that thou art thus closely bound to Jesus, that thou 
art thus one with Him. what dost thou ? Hast 
thou nothing to say to Him ; dost thou not con- 
verse with thy God, Who is with thee ? Ah, yes. re- 
new thy faith ; remember that the angels now sur- 
round thee, adoring their God, Who is within thy 
breast ; do thou also adore thy Lord within thyself. 
Enter into thyself, and banish thence even* other 
thought. Lnite all thy aiiections together, and. 
clinging closely to thy God, say : 

2. An Act of Welcome. 

I, my Jesus, my Love, my Infinite Good, my 
AH be ever welcome in the poor dwelling 
of my soul ! Ah, my Lord, where art Thou ! 
to what a place art Thou come ! Thou hast entered 



2o6 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



my heart, which is far worse than the stable in 
which Thou wast born ; it is full of earthly affec- 
tions, of self-love, and of inordinate desires. And 
how couldst Thou come to dwell there ? I would 
address Thee with St. Peter: " Depart from me, for 
I am a sinful man" (St. Luke v. 8). Yes, depart from 
me, O Lord, for I am indeed unworthy to receive a 
God of infinite goodness ; go and find repose in 
those pure souls who serve Thee with so much love. 
But no, my Redeemer ; what do I say ? Leave me 
not ; for if Thou departest, I am lost. I embrace 
Thee, my Life ; I cling to Thee. Mad indeed have I 
been in having separated myself from Thee for the 
love of creatures ; and in my ingratitude I drove 
Thee from me. But now I will never more separate 
myself from Thee, my Treasure ; I desire to live and 
die ever united to Thee. Most blessed Virgin Mary, 
Seraphim, and all souls, do you who love God with 
pure love lend me your affections, that I may 
worthily attend on my beloved Lord. 

3. Act of Thanksgiving, 

rwsj'3HY God and Lord, I thank Thee for the grace 
Bvwfl which Thou hast this morning bestowed 
upon me, of coming to dwell in my soul ; 
but I would wish to thank Thee in a manner worthy 
of Thee and of the great favor which Thou hast 
done. me. But what do I say? how can such a miser- 
able creature as I am ever worthily thank Thee ? 

Father Segneri says that the feeling most becom- 
ing a soul who communicates is that of wondering 
astonishment at the thought, and to repeat: "A 
God is united to me ; a God is mine !" David said : 
" What shall I render to the Lord for all the things 
that He hath rendered to me?" (Ps. cxv. 12.) But 
I ! what return shall I make to Thee, my Jesus, Who, 
after having given me so many of Thy good things, 
hast this morning, moreover, given me Thyself ? My 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 207 



soul, bless, then, and thank thy God as best thou 
canst. And thou, my Mother Mary, my holy advo- 
cate, my guardian angel, and all ye souls who love 
God, " Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I 
will tell you what great things He hath done for my 
soul" (Ps. lxv. 16). Come and bless and thank my 
God for me, admiring and praising the indeed great 
graces which He has granted me. 

4. Act of Oblation. 

Beloved to me, and I to Him" (Cant. ii. 16). 

Should a king go to visit a poor shepherd in 
— I his hut, what can the shepherd offer him 
other than his whole hut, such as it is ? Since then, 
O Jesus, my divine King, Thou hast come to visit 
the poor house of my soul, I offer and give Thee 
this house and my entire self, together with my 
liberty and will : " My Beloved to me, and I to 
Him." Thou hast given Thyself all to me; I give 
myself all to Thee. My Jesus, from this day for- 
ward I will be no longer mine, I will be Thine, and 
all Thine. May my senses be Thine, that they may 
only serve me to please Thee. " And what greater 
pleasure," says St. Peter of Alcantara, " can be found, 
than that of pleasing Thee, most amiable, most lov- 
ing, most gracious God ?" I at the same time give 
Thee all the powers of my soul, and I will that they 
shall be all Thine; my memory I will only use to 
recall to mind Thy benefits and Thy love ; my 
understanding I will only use to think of Thee, Who 
always thinkest of my good ; my will I will only use 
to love Thee, my God, my All, and to will only that 
which Thou wiliest. My most sweet Lord, I offer, 
then, and consecrate to Thee this morning all that I 
am and have, — my senses, my thoughts, my affec- 
tions, my desires, my pleasures, my inclinations, my 
liberty : in a word, I place my whole body and soul 
in Thy hands. 



2o8 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Accept, O infinite Majesty, the sacrifice of the 
hitherto most ungrateful sinner Thou hast ever had 
on earth ; but who now offers and gives himself all 
to Thee. Do with me and dispose of me, O Lord, as 
Thou pleasest. 

Come, O consuming Fire, O divine Love! and 
consume in me all which is mine, and which is dis- 
pleasing in Thy most pure eyes, so that from hence- 
forward I may be all Thine, and may live only to 
execute, not Thy commands and counsels alone, but 
all Thy holy desires and good pleasure also. Amen. 

O most holy Mary, do thou present this offering 
of mine to the Most Blessed Trinity with thine own 
hands ; and do thou obtain Their acceptance of it, 
and that They may grant me the grace to be 
faithful unto death. Amen, amen, amen. 

5. Act of Petition. 

IH5J91 MY soul, what art thou doing? The present 
IJraLi is no time to be lost : it is a precious time, 
IP^ffl l in which thou canst receive all the graces 
which thou askest. Seest thou not the Eternal • 
Father, Who is lovingly beholding thee ? for within 
thee He sees His beloved Son, the dearest object of 
His love. Drive, then, far from thee all other 
thoughts ; rekindle thy faith, enlarge thy heart, 
and ask for whatever thou wiliest. 

Hearest thou not Jesus Himself Who thus ad- 
dresses thee : " What wilt thou that I should do to 
thee?" (St. Mark x. 51.) O soul, tell me, what 
dost thou desire of Me ? I am come for the express 
purpose of enriching and gratifying thee ; ask with 
confidence, and thou wilt receive all. 

Ah ! my most sweet Saviour, since Thou hast 
come into my heart in order to grant me graces, and 
desirest that I should ask Thee for them, I ask Thee 
not for the good of the earth — riches, honors, or 
pleasures; but grant me, I beseech Thee, intense 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 209 



sorrow for the displeasures I have caused Thee; im- 
part to me so clear a light, that I may know the 
vanity of this world, and how deserving Thou art of 
love. Change this heart of mine, detach it from all 
earthly affections ; give me a heart conformable in 
all things to Thy holy will, that it may seek only for 
that which is more pleasing to Thee, and have no 
other desire than Thy holy love : " Create a clean 
heart in me, O God !" (Ps. 1. 12.) 

I deserve not this ; but Thou, my Jesus, deservest 
it, since Thou art come to dwell in my soul : I ask it 
of Thee through Thy merits and those of Thy most 
holy Mother, and by the love which Thou bearest to 
Thy Eternal Father. 

Here pause to ask Jesus for some other particular grace for your- 
self and for your neighbors. Do not forget poor sinners, or the souls 
in purgatory ; and pray also for me, who composed this little book 
for your good. 

Iternal Father, Jesus Christ Himself, Thy 
Son, has said, " Amen, amen, I say to you, if 
' you ask the Father anything in My Name, 
He will give it you." For the love, then, of this 
Son, Whom I now hold within my breast, do Thou 
graciously hear me and grant my petition. 

My most sweet loves, Jesus and Mary, may I suffer 
for you, may I die for you ; may I be all yours, and 
in nothing my own ! May the Most Blessed Sacra- 
ment ever be thanked and praised ! Blessed be the 
holy and immaculate conception of the blessed Vir- 
gin Mary ! 

tyvzvn of St Egnatuts, 

j]0UL of Christ, sanctify me ; 
Body of Christ, save me ; 
Blood of Christ, inebriate me ; 
Water from the side of Christ, wash me ; 
Passion of Christ, strengthen me. 
O good Jesus, hear me ; 



210 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 

Within Thy wounds, hide me ; 

Permit me not to be separated from Thee ; 

From the malignant enemy defend me ; 

In the hour of my death, call me ; 

And bid me come to Thee, 

That with Thy saints I may praise Thee 

Forever and ever. Amen. 1 



SECOND EXERCISE, 
before ftommimtott* 

1 Y beloved Jesus, true Son of God, Who didst 
die for me on the cross in a sea of sorrow 
— and ignominy, I firmly believe that Thou art 
present in the Most Holy Sacrament ; and for this 
faith I am ready to give my life. 

My dear Redeemer, I hope by Thy goodness, and 
through the merits of Thy Blood, that when Thou 
dost come to me this morning, Thou wilt inflame 
me with Thy holy love, and wilt give me all those 
graces which I need to keep me obedient and faith- 
ful to Thee until death. Ah, my God! true and 
only lover of my soul, what couldst Thou do more to 
oblige me to love Thee ? Thou wert not satisfied, 
my Love, with dying for me, but Thou wouldst also 
institute the Most Holy Sacrament, and, making 
Thyself my food, give Thyself all to me; thus 
uniting Thyself most closely to a most miserable 
and ungrateful creature. Thou dost Thyself invite 
me to receive Thee, and dost greatly desire that 
I should receive Thee. O infinite Love ! A God 
gives Himself all to me ! O my God, O infinite Love, 
worthy of infinite love, I love Thee above all things ; 



1 Plenary indulgence, once a ^month. 300 days' indulgence, each 
time. (Pius IX., January 9, 1854.) 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



211 



I love Thee with all my heart ; I lov£ Thee more 
than myself, more than my life ; I love Jh.ee because 
Thou art worthy of being loved ; and I desire also 
to please Thee, since Thou dost desire my love ! 
Depart from my soul, all ye earthly affections ; to 
Thee alone, my Jesus, my Treasure, my All, I will 
give all my love. This morning Thou dost give 
Thyself all to me, and I give myself all to Thee. 
Permit me to love Thee ; for I desire none but Thee, 
and nothing but what is pleasing to Thee. I love 
Thee. O my Saviour, and I unite my poor love with 
the love of all the angels and saints, and of Thy 
Mother Mary, and of Thy Eternal Father ! Oh, that 
I could see Thee loved by all men, and loved as 
much as Thou dost Reserve. 

Behold, O my Jesus, I am now about to draw near 
and feed on Thy most sacred flesh ! Ah, my God, 
who am I. and Who art Thou ? Thou art a Lord of 
infinite goodness, and I am a loathsome worm, de- 
filed by many sins, and who have too often driven 
Thee out of my soul. Lord, I am not worthy to re- 
main in Thy presence ; I ought to be in hell for- 
ever, far away, and abandoned by Thee. But out 
of Thy goodness Thou callest me to receive Thee : 
behold I come, I come humbled and in confusion 
for the great displeasure I have given Thee, but 
trusting entirely to Thy mercy and to the love Thou 
hast for me. I am exceedingly sorry, O my loving 
Redeemer, for having so often offended Thee in 
time past! Thou didst even give Thy life for me ; 
and yet I have often despised Thy grace and Thy 
love, and have exchanged Thee for nothing. I re- 
pent, and am sorry with all my heart for every of- 
fence which I have committed against Thee, whether 
grievous or light, because it was an offence against 
Thee, Who art infinite goodness. I hope Thou hast 
already pardoned me; but if Thou hast not yet for- 
given me, pardon me, my Jesus, before I receive 



212 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 

Thee. Ah, receive me quickly into Thy grace, since 
it is Thy will spon to come and dwell within me. 

Come, then, my Jesus, 'come into my soul, that 
sighs after Thee ! My only infinite Good, my Life, 
my Love, my All, I would desire to receive Thee 
this morning with the same love with which those 
souls who love Thee most have received Thee, and 
with the same fervor with which Thy most holy 
Mother received Thee ; to her Communions I wish 
to unite this one of mine. O blessed Virgin and my 
Mother Mary, give me thy Son ; I intend to receive 
Him from thy hands! Tell Him that I am thy 
servant, and then will He press me more lovingly to 
His Heart, now that He is coming to me. 

Sifter (Eommunton* 

ehold, my Jesus, Thou art come, Thou art 
now within me, and hast made Thyself all 
mine. Be Thou welcome, my beloved Re- 
deemer. I adore Thee, and cast myself at Thy feet ; 
I embrace Thee, I press Thee to my heart, and thank 
Thee that Thou hast deigned to enter into my 
breast. O Mary, O my patron saints, O my guardian 
angel, do you all thank Jesus for me ! 

Since, then, O my divine King! Thou art come to 
visit me with so much love, I give Thee my will, my 
liberty, and my whole self. Thou hast given Thy- 
self all to me, I will give myself all to Thee ; I will 
no longer belong to myself ; from this day forward I 
will be Thine, and altogether Thine. I desire that 
my soul, my body, my faculties, my senses, should 
be all Thine, that they may be employed in serving 
and pleasing Thee. To Thee I consecrate all my 
thoughts, my desires, my affections, and all my life. 
I have offended Thee enough, my Jesus ; I desire to 
spend the remainder of my life in loving Thee, Who 
hast loved me so much. 

Accept, O God of my soul, the sacrifice which I, a 




Exercises f or Holy Communion. 



213 



miserable sinner, make to Thee. I desire only to 
love and please Thee. Work Thou in me, and 
dispose of me, and of all things belonging to me, as 
Thou pleasest. May Thy love destroy in me all 
those affections which are displeasing to Thee, that 
I maybe ail Thine, and may live only to please Thee ! 

I ask Thee not for goods of this world, for pleas- 
ures, for honors ; give me, I pray Thee, by the 
merits of Thy Passion, my Jesus, a constant sor- 
row for my sins ! Enlighten me, and make me know 
the vanity of worldly goods, and how much Thou 
dost deserve to be loved. Separate me from all 
attachment to the world, and bind me entirely to 
Thy love, that from henceforth my will may neither 
seek nor desire anything but what Thou wiliest. 
Give me patience and resignation in infirmities, in 
poverty, and in all those things which are contrary 
to my self-love. Make me gentle towards those who 
despise me. Give me a holy death. Give me Thy 
holy love. And, above all, I pray Thee to give me 
perseverance in Thy grace till death ; never permit 
me to separate myself from Thee again. And I also 
ask of Thee the grace always to have recourse to 
Thee, and to invoke Thy aid, O my Jesus, in all my 
temptations: and the grace to ask Thee always for 
holy perseverance. 

O eternal Father, Thy Son Jesus Christ has prom- 
ised me that Thou wilt grant me everything that I 
shall ask Thee in His name (John xvi. 23). In the 
name, therefore, and by the merits of this Son, I ask 
for Thy love and holy perseverance, that I may one 
day love Thee in heaven with all my strength, and 
sing Thy mercies forever, secure of never more 
being separated from Thee. 

O most holy Mary, my Mother, and my hope, 
obtain for me these graces which I so desire ; as 
also a great love for thee, my Queen : may I always 
recommend myself to thee in all my necessities ! 



214 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



THIRD EXERCISE, 
before (Communion. 

my true and perfect Love, what tenderness is 



this that impels Thee to come to me, a mis- 



1 *3*^ 1 erable sinner? Come, yea, come, Thou 
Desired of my heart ; my soul sighs for Thee. I 
offer Thee this Communion to satisfy Thy desire 
of coming to me and to unite myself to Thee, my God 
and my All. Ah ! what wonder do I behold ? A God 
cometh down from heaven for my sake, and hideth 
His majesty beneath the species of bread and wine ! 
How true is it, O Lord, that having loved Thine 
own, Thou didst love them to the end, by instituting 
this divine Sacrament ! 

My God, Thou art goodness itself; how then could 
I love aught else but Thee? Ah! Lord, draw me 
more and more into Thy heart. I prefer Thy love 
and Thy goodness to all that the world can give. 
Thou art the only object of my affections. I wish 
to love Thee alone; I would leave all for love of 
Thee. Give me the grace to accomplish this resolu- 
tion : for, without Thy help, I can do nothing. 

My Beloved, if Thou wouldst that I should stay 
with Thee, do Thou first stay with me, and draw me 
to Thee by Thy Spirit; without Thy Spirit I am 
nothing, I can do nothing, I am worth nothing. Let 
me not be wanting in the gratitude due to Thee for 
all the graces Thou hast vouchsafed to bestow upon 
me. Out of love for Thee, I offer to be entirely de- 
prived of all species of sensible consolation, and to 
suffer whatever tribulations Thou mayest be pleased 
to send me, in time and in eternity. I am and ever 
will be entirely Thine, and I venture to ask of Thee, 
not only to bestow on me Thy gifts, but also to 
bestow Thyself on me ; I desire to receive Thee that 
I may be more closely united to Thee. 




Exercises for Holy Communion. 



215 



Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Passion of Thy 
divine Son for my salvation and that of all men. 
Look not on my sins, but behold the love which Thy 
well-beloved Son beareth to us, a love wffich im- 
pelled Him to give Himself to us in this sacrament. 
By that love, have pity on me, O my God ! 

My Redeemer, I acknowledge that I am infinitely 
unworthy of approaching Thee because of my sins 
and my want of purity ; therefore I cry unto Thee : 
Lord, I am not worthy. Had I the love of all the 
seraphim, yet would I not be sufficiently prepared 
for receiving Thee ; again, then, I cry unto Thee : 
Lord, L am not worthy. Come, my beloved Lord, 
perform Thou in me that for which Thou dost come. 
I am a miserable sinner, but through Thy great good- 
ness Thou dost not consider my guilt and unhappi- 
ness. Come Thou into my soul to sanctify it; take 
possession of my heart to purify it ; enter into my 
body to keep it pure ; make me to be never separated 
from Thy love. O burning Fire, do Thou consume 
in me whatever Thou seest to be unworthy of Thy 
presence and an obstacle to the reception of Thy 
grace and love. 

Mother of my Redeemer, have compassion on me, 
a poor sinner ; pray for me, so that by thy assistance 
I may embrace thy Son with perfect love, and my 
soul may become one according to His Heart. 

glittv (tommnniort anir trurtng tfje Vtstt to tf)e 
3S!esseir Sacrament* 

fegsSJSl excess of love ! Blessed Host, I adore Thee 



within my heart. One heart is too little 



l "™ ! wherewith to love Thee, my Jesus ; one 
tongue cannot suffice to sing ail Thy praises. My 
Saviour, how can I thank Thee for having vouchsafed 
to visit so poor a creature ! 1 offer myself entirely 
to Thee, in gratitude for all the benefits Thou hast 
bestowed on me. 




216 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



No, I will no longer live to myself ; may Jesu's alone 
live in me. He is mine and I am His to all eternity. 
O my ^ove, never more will I sin. Never will I for- 
get the goodness and mercy of Jesus, my Saviour 
and my Host. I believe, O my God, yes, I believe 
that Thou art within me, body and soul ; Thy divinity 
is now within me and united to me. 

I adore and revere Thee, being but a miserable 
worm of the earth, crawling in the dust of its own 
nothingness, yet wishing to show Thee its ardent 
desire of glorifying Thee. But how could Thy in- 
finite majesty have vouchsafed to visit the least of 
His creatures? My sweet Saviour, I thank Thee 
lovingly for this immense favor; be Thou a thousand 
times blessed for it ; grant, O my God, that I may 
thank Thee as much as Thou dost deserve to be 
thanked. I pray Thy most holy Mother, all the 
angels and saints, to give Thee thanks for it ; in this 
intention I offer Thee all the praises and thanksgiv- 
ing which have ever been or ever will be offered Thee 
by all creatures. My God, Thou dost vouchsafe to 
unite Thyself to me, in order the more abundantly 
to apply to my soul all the merits of Thy Passion, 
and to sanctify me ; do Thou then fulfil in me Thy 
charitable designs. Infinitely wise and all-powerful 
Lord, let not the fruits of Thy visit be lost, but unite 
Thyself to me, and me to Thyself, by an indestructible 
union, and by perfect love ; unite, I pray Thee, the 
depths of Thy mercy with the depths of my un- 
worthiness, and fill me with a divine life. My Jesus, 
Thou seest of what I stand in need ; Thou knowest 
that without Thee I can do nothing ; Thou knowest 
my weakness ; do Thou then have pity on me ; give 
me humility, purify of heart, perfect love, and con- 
formity to Thy holy will ; strengthen me against all 
bad habits ; grant me remission of my sins and the 
grace to sin no more; inspire in me a distaste for all 
creatures, so that I may love nothing else but Thee ; 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



give me grace, oat of love for Thee, to suffer pa- 
tiently all the trials and misfortunes that may befall 
me. I hope all things from Thy goodness. — Holy 
Virgin, my dearest Mother, pray to thy divine 
Son and beg Him, by the love He beareth thee, and 
in consideration of thy merits, to grant me all that 
I ask of Him. 

My God and only Good, I take more delight in 
Thine infinite perfections than if they were my own, 
and I rejoice that nothing in the world can take them 
from Thee or diminish them in Thee. Be Thou, 
then, welcome,Thou Who art ever perfect and infinite 
in Thy greatness, my Jesus, my Love, my God ; may 
I be all Thine, my sweet Saviour, by that infinite 
goodness' which made Thee come down to earth. I 
pray Thee, let me experience the effects of Thy love, 
by feeling my soul so absorbed in Thee that, despis- 
ing all earthly good, it may evermore behold but 
Thee alone, and^think only of Thee, and that the 
same love which made Thee die for me on the cross 
may make me in like manner die to the world, so as 
to live eternally with Thee. 

God of my soul, Who dost deserve to be loved 
more than all creatures, I protest that Thou art the 
only object of my affections, and that I prefer Thee 
to all the world contains and to myself. I wish to 
be faithful to Thee, and never again to live separated 
from Thee. 

I resign and abandon myself entirely to Thee, 
lovingly and respectfully accepting Thy will and all 
Thy just designs on me ; I pray Thee to accomplish 
all that Thou dost ordain for me in time and in 
eternity; but I hope one day to behold Thy divine 
face and Thine infinite beauty. My God, draw me 
entirely to Thyself, so that I may love Thee, and be 
consumed by the divine flames of love of Thee. I 
pray Thee so to hide me in Thee that I may never 
again be found by any creature. 



21 8 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 

Eternal Father, for the love of Thy divine Son, 
fill my memory with holy thoughts which will make 
me to think unceasingly of Thee and of Thy Son. 
Grant me the grace of always knowing and accom- 
plishing what Thou desirest of me. 

And Thou, O Holy Ghost, do Thou fill my heart 
with holy affections, which will bring forth in me the 
fruits of Thy love. Enlighten me so that I may go 
straight to Thee, and that my will shall be no longer 
free to give itself to any but Thee. My God and my 
All, I wish to seek for nothing but Thee, since in 
Thee I find all things. My Father, grant that I may 
be as solicitous of serving Thee as Thou art to be- 
stow Thy benefits on me. I would that all my 
thoughts could be employed in seeking the means 
to please Thee, and in preserving me from offending 
Thee any more. Incarnate Word, may I love Thee, 
and naught else but Thee. Keep far from me all 
occasions of sin that might turn me aside from loving 
Thee. May my heart be entirely occupied in be- 
holding Thee and serving Thee as the chief object 
of the love of all hearts. Thou didst come on earth 
to dwell in those hearts which Thou hast bought 
with Thy Blood. May my heart then be entirely 
Thine ; do Thou take possession of it. See, then, 
all my necessities ; enlighten me, inflame me, and 
make me ready to do Thy holy will. All-powerful 
Jesus, take from me whatever can hinder the 
effects of Thy power and goodness. I lay down my 
liberty, and place it entirely at the disposal of Thy 
will. Have pity on me, and heal me of all my ini- 
quities and infidelities ; fill me with Thy grace and 
wisdom. I abandon myself entirely to Thee, my 
Jesus. I wish to be all Thine ; I wish to employ my- 
self fervently in procuring Thee glory ; at the sight 
of Thy sufferings, I would wish to suffer patiently 
all my trials and adversities. May I be only em-* 
ployed in doing what is most pleasing to Thee. 



Exercises for Holy Communion, 



219 



My God, may I behold Thee with eyes of lively 
faith, that I may know Thee and love Thee ; may I 
see what is Thy holy will, in order to accomplish it ; 
may I behold my own faults, in order to abhor and 
humble myself ; may I at length gaze upon Thy 
divine face unveiled to all eternity. 

Lord, I have wasted all my goods, like the prodigal 
son ; but I have not been able to exhaust the treasures 
of Thy mercy. May I take Thy will alone as the 
guide of my life, and neither my senses nor human 
respect ! Engrave the law of Thy love in my heart 
in indelible letters. 

My God, even were there no sufferings in store 
for the guilty, I would not cease to love Thee, and 
to suffer for Thy sake. May I correspond to Thy 
desires ! Henceforth Thou shalt be all in all to me. 
I confidently submit to whatever it may please Thee 
to ordain concerning me, in time and in eternity. 
O Incarnate Word, wash my heart with Thy Blood, 
and imprint on it, as a seal of Thy love, Thine own 
holy name of Jesus. 

Lord, give me not over to the power of my vices. 
Remember that I am the work of Thy hands ; let me 
not become the prey of demons. It is true that I 
am a sinner ; but I have been bought with Thy Blood. 

Eternal Father, look on the Passion of Thy well- 
beloved Son, Whose merits cry out for mercy on 
me. By those merits, which I now offer Thee, de- 
tach me from«all worldly affections, and fill me with 
Thy love ; grant me the grace of dyinglin sentiments 
of resignation, faith, confidence, and perfect love. 

My Jesus, by the eternal love Thou hast borne me, 
make me to love Thee during the short time I have 
to pass on earth, so that I may love Thee afterwards 
eternally in heaven. O God of love, may I live only 
for Thee. When shall I be all Thine, as Thou art 
all mine? When shall I die to myself and live only 
for Thy love ? I know not how to give myself to 



220 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Thee as I ought ; my God, take me to Thyself and 
make me be all Thine. 

Lord, I wish for eyesight only to see Thee, a 
tongue only to speak with Thee, a heart only to love 
Thee with, a body only to offer it to Thee, my life 
only to sacrifice it for Thee. O God of love, give 
me Thy love. Infinite Power, help Thou my weak- 
ness. Eternal Wisdom, dissipate my darkness. 
Boundless Mercy, pardon me my perverseness. In- 
finite Goodness, how have I delayed knowing Thee 
and loving Thee ! Do with me what Thou wilt ; I 
wish for naught else but what Thou shall do. 

Blessed Virgin, I rejoice with thee that thou hast 
won the heart of thy God. Of thy goodness, unite 
me to thy divine Son ; speak to Him for me, so that 
He may grant me the grace of following all His in- 
spirations. Teach me, thyself, to practise those 
virtues which thou didst practise when on earth, and 
detach me from all that is not God, so that I may 
love Him with all my strength. 



FOURTH EXERCISE, 
before Communion, 

■ et us consider the great gift which Jesus 
Christ bestowed on us by giving us Himself 
as our food in holy Communion. " Though 
God is all-powerful," says St. Augustine, "yet could 
He not have given us more." "And in fact," adds St. 
Bernardine, " what greater treasure can a soul receive 
or desire than the adorable Body of Jesus Christ ?" 
The prophet Isaias exclaims with reason " Make 
His inventions known among the people" (Is. xii 4) 
Ah! if Our Redeemer had not bestowed on us this 
spontaneous gift, who would ever have dared to ask 
it of Him? Who would have dared say to Him ' 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 221 



" Lord, if Thou wouldst make Thy love known to 
us, give Thyself to us beneath the species of bread, 
and consent thus to become our food ?" Such a 
thought would even have been looked on as a folly. 
When Jesus Christ announced the great gift of the 
Eucharist to His disciples, they could not bring 
themselves to believe it, and went away from Him 
murmuring (John vi. 41). But what men could never 
have imagined was conceived and accomplished by 
the great love of Jesus Christ. 

According to St. Bernardine, Our Lord left us this 
divine sacrament as a remembrance of the affection 
He testified to us in His Passion ; which agrees with 
the words which He has Himself transmitted to us 
by St. Luke : " Do this for a commemoration of Me " 
(Luke xxii. 19). Our Saviour had not exhausted 
His love in sacrificing His life for us; before dying, 
that same love constrained Him to bestow on us the 
greatest of all gifts, by giving Himself to us as food. 
According to Abbe Gueric, Jesus Christ in this sac- 
rament made " the last effort of love ;" and the 
Council of Trent expresses this sentiment still better 
by saying that " the Divine Saviour has poured out 
all the riches of His love for men in the Eucharist." 

" If a prince* were to send some dish from his 
own table to a poor beggar, would we not see in it," 
says St. Francis de Sales, " a most extraordinary 
mark of affection ? And how would it be if he sent 
the beggar his whole repast ? And how, again, would 
it be if the prince sent the beggar some part of his 
own substance as food ?" Jesus Christ, in holy 
Communion, gives us as food not -only a portion 
from His table, nor a part of His substance, but His 
whole Body ; and with His Body He gives us also 
His Soul and His Divinity. " In a word," says St. 
John Chrysostom, "Jesus Christ, by giving Himself 
to us in holy Communion, gives us all that He has, 
reserving Himself nothing." "Thus, then," exclaims 



222 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



St. Bonaventure with admiration, "this great God, 
Whom the world cannot contain, makes Himself our 
Prisoner in the Blessed Sacrament. " Ah! if it be 
true that Our Lord, in the Eucharist, gives Himself 
to us entirely, how," says St. Paul, "can we fear that 
He should refuse us whatever graces we ask of Him ?" 

Affections and Prayers. 

■ nlighten me, I beseech Thee, O Lord; in- 
crease my faith. Make me know Who Thou 
art, Who wiliest to give Thyself to me this 
morning; and who am I, who am about to receive 
Thee. I pray Thee, through the merits of Thy 
Blood, cleanse my soul from its many stains. Par- 
don me, O my Jesus, before Thou comest into my 
heart. I have offended and displeased Thee, the 
Sovereign Good : I am sorry for it with all my soul. 
I believe, my Redeemer, that Thou art the Son of 
God ; that Thou didst die for me, and that Thou hast 
left Thyself in the Most Holy Sacrament to be sacri- 
ficed by Thy priests, and to become our food. 

I hope of Thee, through Thy Passion and Thy 
promises, to love Thee always for the time to come, 
and to possess Thee in eternity. 

I love Thee, my dear Redeemer; I love Thee more 
than myself ; and because I love Thee, I repent with 
my whole heart of all my offences against Thee, be- 
cause by them I have offended Thee Who art in- 
finite goodness. 

I love Thee, my God; but I love Thee too little; 
I desire to receive Thee with that love with which so 
many loving souls receive Thee. Inflame me, I be- 
seech Thee, with Thy love, and make me all Thine 
own. 

I love Thee, O my Jesus, above every good, and I 
desire to receive Thee, in order to love Thee more. 
Thou givest Thyself wholly to me ; I give myself all 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



223 



to Thee. Thou shalt be always my All, my only 
Good, my only Love. My Jesus, come and wash 
away in Thy Blood all my stains, ere I receive Thee 
this morning. I am not worthy to receive Thee; 
but Thou, O heavenly Physician, art able with one 
word to heal all my wounds. Come and heal me. 

I am that sheep who has wilfully chosen to lose 
my soul, by fleeing away from Thee, my Redeemer ; 
but Thou art the Good Shepherd, Who hast given 
Thy life to save me. Seek me, my Jesus ; do not 
abandon me. Seek me and bind me on Thy shoul- 
ders, for I firmly purpose to serve and love Thee as 
much as I am able. Thou hast said : " My sheep hear 
my voice; and no man shall pluck them out of my 
hand " (John x. 27, 28). Thou art calling me to love 
Thee ; behold, I leave all and come to Thee, my Life. 
I desire to obey Thee in all things. I renounce all 
the pleasures of the world, since Thou dost deign to 
give me this morning Thy most holy Flesh to be my 
food. 

Eternal Father, I offer Thee this Communion in 
thanksgiving for all Thy benefits to mankind, espe- 
cially for those conferred on the sacred humanity of 
Jesus Christ, the most blessed Virgin, on my guar- 
dian angel, on all the predestinate, and on all my 
patron saints ; and I beg of Thee, through the mer- 
its of Jesus Christ, holy perseverance, Thy love, and 
all those other graces which Jesus, Mary, and my 
holy advocates ask of Thee for me. 

O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me a share of that 
humility and fervor wherewith thou didst receive 
Jesus in thy holy Communions. 

With regard to prayers for others, it will be well to recommend 
at holy Communion those who are named in the following- Me- 
mento : 

Memento of the Living. 

I. I recommend to Thee the Sovereign Pontiff, 
and all prelates, confessors, preachers, and priests : 



224 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



grant them, O Lord, zeal and the spirit of their 
state, that they may give themselves to the salva- 
tion of souls. 

II. My relations, friends, and enemies; the dy- 
ing who are on the point of leaving this world ; and 
all the faithful who are in Thy grace : give them, O 
Lord, perseverance and fervor in Thy love. 

III. All infidels, heretics, and sinners: give them 
light and strength that they may all know and love 
Thee. 

Memento of the Dead. 

I. I recommend to Thee the souls of my parents, 
benefactors, friends, and enemies; and of those who 
are in purgatory through my fault. 

II. The souls of priests, and especially of those 
who labored for souls. 

III. The souls of those who were most devout to 
the Passion of Jesus Christ, to the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, and to the divine Mother ; the souls who are 
the most forgotten ; those who are suffering the 
most ; and those who are nearest to the gates of 
paradise. 

Each Memento may be repeated whenever we receive holy Com- 
munion, or at least the intention may be made of recommendiifg 
those here specified. 

gifttv 2$oltf <£ommumou* 

■ y dear Jesus, my Redeemer, and my God : I 
adore Thee hidden within my breast under 
the humble appearances of bread and wine, 
and thus made the meat and drink of my soul. 

Welcome, my Lord, to my soul. I thank Thee 
with my whole heart : would that I could thank 
Thee as Thou deservest ! But what fitting thanks- 
giving could a poor peasant offer who should behold 
his king enter into his cabin to visit him ? He could 
but cast himself at his feet and remain there pros- 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



22$ 



trate in silence, in astonishment, and in thankful- 
ness for this condescension. I cast myself, therefore, 
at Thy feet, O my divine King, O my Jesus, and I 
adore Thee from the depths of my misery. I unite 
my adoration to that which the most holy Mary of- 
fered Thee when she received Thee into her most 
sacred womb ; and would that I could also love Thee 
as she loved Thee ! 

O Infinite Goodness ! O Infinite Love ! A God has 
given Himself wholly to me, and has made Himself 
all mine ! Unite, O my soul, all thy affections, and 
bind thyself to thy Lord, Who has come on purpose 
to unite Himself to thee, and to be loved by thee. 

My dear Redeemer, I embrace Thee ; my Treasure, 
my Life, I bind myself to Thee ; do not Thou dis- 
dain me. Hitherto I have driven Thee from my 
soul, and have separated myself from Thee. But for 
the future I will rather lose my life a thousand times 
than lose Thee, my Sovereign Good. Forget, O Lord, 
my many offences against Thee, and pardon me. I 
repent with my whole soul ; would that I could die 
with grief ! 

But notwithstanding my offences, I feel that Thou 
art bidding me to love Thee: "Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with thy whole heart" (Deut. vi. 5). 
Ah, my Lord, who am I, that Thou dost so greatly 
desire to be loved by me? But if this indeed be 
Thy desire, I wish to please Thee. Thou didst die 
for me, Thou hast given Thy Flesh to be my food. 
I leave all ; I bid farewell to all ; and I embrace 
Thee, my beloved Saviour : who can separate me from 
Thy love? 

My beloved Redeemer, and whom shall I desire 
to love, if I love not Thee, Who art infinite Beauty, 
infinite Goodness, worthy of infinite love ? For, O 
my God, where can I find, in heaven or on earth, a 
good greater than Thyself, or one who has loved 
me more than Thou ? 



226 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Take possession, I beseech Thee, my Jesus, this 
very morning, of my whole heart ; I give it all to 
Thee. Do Thou possess it always and entirely : 
banish from it every love that is not for Thee. Thee 
alone do I choose for my portion and my riches, O 
God of my heart. Suffer me to beg and to ask of 
Thee always with St. Ignatius of Loyola : " Give me 
Thy love and Thy grace ;" that is, grant that I may 
love Thee and be loved by Thee : and with this I am 
rich enough ; I desire and ask Thee for nothing 
more. 

But Thou knowest my weakness, Thou knowest 
my past treachery ; help me with Thy grace, and do 
not allow me ever again to separate myself from Thy 
holy love. 

My Jesus, give me humility, resignation in the 
trials of this life, meekness when I am despised, in- 
difference to earthly pleasures, and detachment from 
creatures ; and grant that I may banish from my 
heart every affection that does not tend to Thee. I 
ask and hope for all through the merits of Thy 
Passion. O my good Jesus, hear Thou me. O In- 
finite Love, since Thou art come to me, tell me : 
what wouldst Thou have me do ? In all things will 
I obey Thee. I deserve that Thou shouldst not 
again speak to me, since so often, when Thou 
didst call me to Thy love, I have been deaf to Thy 
voice, and have had the ingratitude to turn my back 
on Thee. But I have repented of having thus 
offended Thee ; I repent anew, and trust that Thou 
hast already pardoned me. Tell me, then, what 
wouldst Thou have me do, Lord ? I am resolved 
to do all that Thou askest of me. 

My beloved Saviour, I give myself to Thee ; to 
Thee I sacrifice all my satisfactions, all earthly pleas- 
ures, my body, my soul, my will ; I have nothing 
more to give Thee ; had I anything more, I would 
give it Thee. 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 227 



My beloved Jesus, Thou alone art sufficient for 
me. Thou, my God, art all-powerful. Make me 
holy ; grant that I may love Thee exceedingly, that 
I may never neglect anything that I know to be for 
Thy glory. Grant that I may overcome all, in order 
to please Thee. Happy shall I be, if I lose all, to 
gain Thee and Thy love ! For this end Thou hast 
given me my life. Grant that I may spend it wholly 
for Thee. I do not deserve graces, but punish- 
ments; and I say to Thee : Punish me as Thou wilt, 
but do not deprive me of Thy love. Thou hast 
loved me without reserve ; I wish to love Thee 
without reserve, O Infinite Good, Infinite Love ! O 
Will of God, Thou art my love. 

O my Jesus, Thou didst die for me; would that I 
could die for Thee, and by my death cause all men 
to love Thee ! O Infinite Good, worthy of infinite 
love, I prize Thee and love Thee above all things. 
O Mary, draw me wholly to God ; give me con- 
fidence in thee, and make me have continual re- 
course to thee. Thou, by thy prayers, must make 
me holy. In thee is my hope. 



FIFTH EXERCISE. 
3Sefort 2^ol» Communion* 

■ et us consider the great love which Jesus 
Christ has shown us in giving us Himself in 
the holy Eucharist. The Most Holy Sacra- 
ment is a gift which has proceeded from pure love. 
For our salvation it was necessary, according to the 
decree of God, that the Redeemer should die, and, 
by the sacrifice of His life, satisfy the divine justice 
for our sins ; but what necessity was there that Jesus 
Christ, after having died for our redemption, should 
leave Himself to us for our food ? But this His love 
wished to do. He, says St. Laurence Justinian, 



228 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



instituted the Eucharist for no other purpose than 
to make us understand the immense love which He 
bears us. 

And mark what the apostle has observed — that 
the time at which Jesus Christ wished to bequeath 
this gift was the time of His death. " The Lord Jesus, 
the same night in which He was betrayed, took bread, 
and, giving thanks, brake, and said : ' Take ye, and 
eat : this is My Body.' " At the very time that men 
prepared for Him scourges, thorns, and a cross to 
crucify Him, the loving Saviour wished to leave us 
this last proof of His love. And why at death, and not 
before that time, did He institute this sacrament ? 
Because, says St. Bernardine, the marks of love 
given by friends at death make a greater impression 
on the memory, and are preserved with greater 
affection. Jesus Christ, says the saint, had already 
given Himself to us in many ways. He had given 
Himself to us for a Companion, a Master, a Father, 
for our Light and our Victim. The last degree of 
love remained ; and this was to give Himself to us 
for our food in order to unite Himself to us, as food 
is united with him who eats it. This He has done 
by giving Himself to us in the Most Holy Sacrament. 
Thus, Our Redeemer was not content with uniting 
Himself only to our human nature: He wished by 
this sacrament to find a means of also uniting 
Himself to each of us in particular. St. Francis de 
Sales says that " in no other action can the Saviour 
be considered more tender, or more loving, than 
in the institution of the holy Eucharist, in which 
He, as it were, annihilates Himself, and becomes 
food, in order to penetrate our souls, and to unite 
Himself to the hearts of His faithful servants." 
"Thus," says St. John Chrysostom, "with that Lord 
on Whom the angels dare not fix their eyes we 
are united, and are made one body and one flesh. 
What shepherd," adds the saint, " has ever fed his 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



229 



sheep with his own blood ? Even mothers intrust 
their children to the care of nurses. But Jesus, in 
His sacrament, nourishes us with His own Blood, 
and unites us to Himself. And why become our 
food ? Because," says the saint. " He loved us ar- 
dently, and by making Himself our food He wished 
to unite Himself entirely to us, and to make Him- 
self one thing with us. Then Jesus Christ wished 
to perform the greatest of His miracles in order 
to satisfy His desire of remaining with us, and of 
uniting in one our heart and His own most holy 
Heart. " Oh, wonderful is Thy love, O Lord Jesus !" 
exclaims St. Laurence Justinian, " Who wished to 
incorporate us in such a manner with Thyself that 
we should have one heart and one soul inseparably 
united with Thee." 

That great servant of God, Father de la Colom- 
biere, used to say: "If anything could shake my 
faith in the mystery of the Eucharist, I would not 
doubt of the power, but rather of the love, which 
God displays in this sacrament. If you ask me how 
bread becomes the Body of Jesus — how Jesus is 
found in many places, I answer that God can do 
all things. But if you ask me how it is that God 
loves men so as to make Himself their food, I can 
only say that I do not understand it, and that the 
love of Jesus cannot be comprehended. But, O Lord ! 
to reduce Thyself to the condition of food, appears 
to be an excess of love not suited to Thy majesty." 
But St. Bernard s answer is, that love makes lovers 
forget their own dignity. St. Chrysostom also an- 
swers, that love seeks not what is convenient when 
there is question of making itself known to the be- 
loved ; it goes not where it ought, but where it is 
carried by the ardor of its desire. Justly, then, has 
the Angelic Doctor called this sacrament " a sacra- 
ment of love — a pledge of love." And St. Bernard 
calls it " love of loves." St. Mary Magdalene de 



230 Pious Exercises for Every Week, 



Pazzi used to call Holy Thursday, the day on which 
this sacrament was instituted, the " day of love." 

Affections and Prayers. 

OME, O my Jesus, come, my heart desireth 
Thee. O my Jesus! my heavenly Physician, 
cast Thine eyes upon my poor soul ; look at 
the many wounds which I have inflicted on it by my 
sins, and have pity on me. If Thou wishest Thou 
canst make me clean. I know that Thou art able 
and willing to heal me ; but in order to heal me, 
Thou wishest me to repent of the offences which I 
have committed against Thee. I am sorry for them 
from the bottom of my heart. Heal me, then, now 
that it is in Thy power to heal me. 

Come, O my Jesus, my soul's richest possession, 
come. Miserable I am, O Lord ! in that I have so 
often, for the sake of the goods of this life, turned 
my back upon Thee, Who art the Infinite Good ! 
I see my folly in having sought for a great name, 
and for making my fortune in the world. I see 
what is my true happiness ; it is henceforth to love 
Thee, and in everything to fulfil Thy will. O my 
Jesus ! take from me the desire of gain ; make me 
love neglect and a humble life. Give me strength 
to deny myself in everything that displeases Thee. 
Make me embrace with a calm mind infirmities, per- 
secutions, desolations, and all the crosses that Thou 
mayest send me. Oh, that I could die for love of 
Thee, abandoned by all, as Thou didst die for me ! 

Come, my beloved Jesus, come, for I love Thee. 
O Lord, I love Thee above everything ; I love Thee 
more than all the honors in the world, more than all 
its riches, more than all my kindred and friends ; I 
love Thee more than health, more than my good 
name, more than science, more than all my com- 
forts ; I love Thee more than everything I possess, 
more than myself. 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



231 



Come, my God, come ; I value Thy graces and 
gifts ; but more than all my gifts I love Thyself, 
Who alone art infinite goodness, worthy of infinite 
love, a possession far surpassing all other posses- 
sions. Therefore, O my God, whatever Thou mayest 
give me short of Thyself, which is not Thyself, 
is not sufficient for me; if Thou givest me Thyself, 
Thou alone art sufficient for me. Let others seek 
what they will, I will seek nothing but Thee alone, 
my Love, my All. In Thee alone I receive all that I 
can find or desire. Come. then. O my God, and all 
my Good ! be Thou the ruling power in my soul; 
anfi as I would choose to love Thee above all things, 
so do Thou grant that in all things I may prefer Thy 
will to my own pleasure. O my Jesus ! I trust in 
Thy Blood that, through all my remaining life, I may 
love none but Thee upon this earth, in order that I 
may come one day to possess Thee forever in the 
kingdom of the blessed. 

Eternal Father, I hope by the Blood of Jesus 
Christ that Thy grace may fulfil in me the desire 
which I have of loving Thee : since, when I was flee- 
ing from Thee, Thou didst show me so many favors, 
I ought to hope much from Thee, now that I seek 
Thee, and that Thy love is the only object of my 
desires. Mary, my Mother, who didst carry in thy 
bosom that God Whom I am going this morning to 
receive, help me to receive Him with humility and 
love. 

3ftrr ?$oU? (Tommtnumr, 

(KSJBI MY Jesus, now that Thou. Who art the true 



Life, art come to me. make me die to the 



^^^1 world, to live only to Thee, my Redeemer; 
by the flames of Thy love destroy in me all that is 
displeasing to Thee, and give me a true desire to 
gratify and please Thee in all things. 

Give me that true humility which shall make me 




232 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



love contempt and self-abjection, and take from me 
all ambition of putting myself forward. Give me 
the spirit of mortification, that I may deny myself 
all those things that do not tend to Thy love, and 
may lovingly embrace that which is displeasing to 
the senses and to self-love. 

Give me a perfect resignation to Thy will, that I 
may accept in peace pains, infirmities, loss of friends 
or property, desolations, persecutions, and all that 
comes to me from Thy hand. I offer Thee all my- 
self, that Thou mayest dispose of me according to 
Thy pleasure. And give me grace always to reyeat 
this entire offering of myself, especially at the time 
of my death. May I, then, sacrifice my life to Thee, 
with all my affection, in union with the sacrifice that 
Thou didst make of Thy life for me to the Eternal 
Father. My Jesus, enlighten me, and make me 
know Thy goodness, and the obligation I am under 
to love Thee above all, for the love Thou hast borne 
me in dying for me, and in leaving Thyself in the 
Most Holy Sacrament. 

I pray Thee to give Thy light to all infidels who 
know Thee not, to all heretics who are out of the 
Church, and to all sinners who live deprived of Thy 
grace. My Jesus, make Thyself known, make Thy- 
self loved. I recommend to Thee all the souls in 
purgatory, and especially N. N.; alleviate the pains 
they suffer, and shorten the time of their banish- 
ment from Thy sight ; do this through Thy merits and 
those of Thy most holy Mother and all the saints. 

My God, enkindle the flame of Thy love within 
me, so that I may seek nothing but Thy pleasure, 
that nothing may please me but pleasing Thee ; I 
drive from my heart everything which is not agree- 
able to Thee. May I always be able to say with real 
affection : " O God, my God, I wish for Thee alone 
and nothing more." My Jesus, give me a great love 
for Thy most sacred Passion, that Thy sufferings and 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



233 



death may be ? ever before my eyes to excite me to 
love Thee always, and to make me desire to give 
Thee some grateful compensation for Thy so great 
love. Give me also a great love for the Most Holy 
Sacrament of the Altar, in which Thou hast made 
known the exceeding tenderness Thou hadst for us. 
I also beg of Thee to give me a tender devotion to 
Thy most holy Mother : give me grace always to 
love and serve her, always to have recourse to her 
intercession, and to induce others to honor her and 
confide in her patronage; and grant to me and to 
all men ever to have a great confidence, first in the 
merits of Thy Passion, and then in the intercession 
of Mary. 

I pray Thee, grant me a happy death. Grant that 
I may then receive Thee with great love in the most 
holy Viaticum, that in Thy embrace, burning with a 
holy fire, and a great desire of seeing Thee, I may 
quit this life to throw myself at Thy feet the first 
time it shall be my lot to see Thee. 

Above all, I pray Thee, O my Jesus, to give me 
the grace of prayer, that I may recommend myself 
always to Thee and Thy most holy Mother, especial- 
ly in time of temptation : and I pray Thee, by Thy 
merits, to grant me holy perseverance and Thy holy 
love. 

Bless me, my Jesus, and bless me altogether — my 
soul, my body, my senses, and my faculties. Bless 
especially my tongue, that it may only speak for Thy 
glory. Bless my eyes, that they may not look on 
anything that might tempt me to displease Thee. 
Bless my taste, that it may not offend Thee by in- 
temperance ; and bless all the members of my body, 
that they may all serve Thee and not offend Thee. 
Bless my memory, that it may always remember 
Thy love, and the favors Thou hast accorded me. 
Bless my understanding, that it may know Thy 
goodness, and the obligation I have of loving Thee ; 



234 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



and that it may see all that I must avoid, and all 
that I must do to conform myself to Thy holy will. 
Above all, bless my will, that it may love no other 
but Thee, the Infinite Good ; that it may seek for 
nothing but to please Thee, and may take delight in 
nothing but what conduces to Thy glory. 

O my King, come Thou and reign alone in my 
soul; take entire possession of it, that it may neither 
serve nor obey anything but Thy love. 

O my Jesus, that I might spend myself all for 
Thee, Who hast spent all Thy life for me ! 

O Lamb of God, sacrificed on the cross, remember 
that I am one of those souls which Thou hast re- 
deemed with so much labor and sorrow. Never let 
me lose Thee again. Thou hast given Thyself all 
to me; make me to be all Thine, and let my only 
wish be to please Thee. I love Thee, O Immense 
Good, in order to give Thee pleasure. I love Thee, 
because Thou art worthy of my love. I have no 
greater grief than that of thinking that I have been 
so long in the world without loving Thee. 

My beloved Redeemer, give me a portion of that 
grief which Thou didst feel for my sins in the Garden 
of Gethsemani. O my Jesus, would that I had died 
and never offended Thee ! O love of my Jesus, Thou 
art my love and my hope ! I will rather lose my 
life, and a thousand lives, than lose Thy grace. 

My God, if I were to die in sin, I could no more 
love Thee. I thank Thee that Thou givest me time, 
and dost call me to love Thee. Now, then, that I 
can love Thee, I will love Thee with all my soul. 
Thou hast borne with me so long that I might love 
Thee. Yes, and I will love Thee. Ah, by the blood 
that Thou hast shed for me, suffer me not to betray 
Thee again. "In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped; let 
me not be confounded forever." What is the world ? 
what are riches? what are pleasures? what are 
honors ? God, God, I wish for God alone. My 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



235 



God, Thou art sufficient for me ; Thou art an Infinite 
Good. 

O my Jesus, bind me wholly to Thy love, and 
draw all my affections to Thyself, so that I may love 
none other but Thee. Make me all Thine before 
I die. 

Ah, my God, as long as I live I stand in danger 
of losing Thee. When shall the day come that I 
can say: 14 My Jesus, I can no longer lose Thee "? 

O eternal Father, for the love of Jesus Christ, 
despise me not ; suffer me to love Thee, and give 
me Thy holy love. I wish to love Thee greatly in 
this life, that I may love Thee greatly in the next. 

O Infinite Good, I love Thee ; but do Thou make 
me know the great good that I love, and give me 
the love Thou dost desire to see in me. Enable 
me to overcome all things to please Thee. 

O Mary, who dost so desire to see thy Son loved 
by all hearts, I ask this grace of thee : that I may 
love Him all the remainder of my life, and desire 
nothing but Him. My Sovereign, my Mother, I 
rely on thee : thou dost obtain all thou askest from 
God, and thou dost pray for all thy devout servants ; 
pray to Him also for me. 



SIXTH EXERCISE. 

before ^oId Communion* 

i|ET us consider the great ardor with which 
Jesus Christ desires that we should receive 
Him in holy Communion. " Jesus knowing 
that His hour was come" (John xiii. 1). But how 
could Jesus call the night on which His bitter 
Passion should commence " His hour"? He calls it 
" His hour" because on that night He was to institute 
this divine sacrament in order to unite Himself 
entirely to His beloved souls. This desire made 



236 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Him say: "With desire I have desired to eat this 
Pasch with you" (Luke xxii. 15). Words by which 
the Redeemer wished to show us the great ardor 
with which He desired to unite Himself to each of 
us in this sacrament. " With desire I have desired." 
Words which, according to St. Laurence Justinian, 
proceeded from His immense love for us. The Re- 
deemer wished to give Himself to us under the appear- 
ance of bread, that all might be able to receive Him. 
Had He given Himself to us under the appearance 
of costly food, the poor would not be able to receive 
Him, and had He instituted the holy sacrament 
under the appearance of any other cheap food, this 
perhaps would not be found in all parts of the 
world. Jesus wished to leave Himself under the 
species of bread, because it costs but little, and is 
found in every country ; so that all persons in all 
places may find Him and receive Him. 

Through His great desire that we should receive 
Him, the Redeemer not only presses us to receive 
Him by so many invitations: "Come, eat My 
bread, and drink the wine which I have mingled 
for you" (Prov. ix. 5) ; " Eat, O friends, and drink, 
and be inebriated, My dearly beloved" (Cant. v. 1); 
but He also commands us to receive Him: "Take 
ye, and eat: this is My Body" (Matt. xxvi. 26). 
Moreover, He endeavors to allure us to the holy 
table by promises of eternal life. " He that eateth 
My Flesh and drinketh My Blood hath life ever- 
lasting. He that eateth this bread shall live for- 
ever" (John vi. 55). He also threatens to exclude 
from paradise all who neglect to receive Him in 
the holy sacrament : " Except you eat the Flesh of 
the Son of Man, and drink His Blood, you shall 
not have life in you" (John vi. 54). These invita- 
tions, promises, and threats, all proceed from the 
ardent desire of Jesus Christ to unite Himself to 
us in this sacrament, and this desire springs from 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



237 



the great love which He bears us. The end of love 
is nothing else than to be united with the object of 
love. And because, in this sacrament, Jesus unites 
Himself entirely to the soul: "He that eateth My 
Flesh and drinketh My Blood abideth in Me, and I 
in him" (John vi. 57), therefore He desires so 
ardently that we should receive Him. 

Again, let us consider the happy effects of holy 
Communion. Oh, if the faithful understood the 
great blessing which holy Communion brings to the 
soul ! Jesus is the Lord of all riches : for His Father 
has made Him Master of all things. " Knowing 
that the Father had given Him all things into His 
hands" (John xiii. 3). Hence, when Jesus Christ 
comes to a soul in holy Communion, He brings with 
Him immense treasures of grace. 

St. Denis says that the Most Holy Sacrament has 
the greatest efficacy in sanctifying the soul. And 
St. Vincent Ferrer asserts that the soul derives 
greater profit from one Communion than from fast- 
ing for a week on bread and water. The Com- 
munion, as the Council of Trent teaches, is that 
great remedy which delivers us from venial, and 
preserves us from mortal, sins. Hence St. Ignatius, 
Martyr, has called the Most Holy Sacrament the 
medicine of immortality. Innocent III. has said 
that, by His Passion, Jesus Christ has delivered us 
from the punishment of sin ; but, by the Eucharist, 
He preserves us from the commission of sin. 

Moreover, this sacrament kindles the fire of divine 
love. " He brought me into the cellar of wine ; 
He set in order charity in me. Stay me up with 
flowers, compass me about with apples ; because I 
languish with love" (Cant. ii. 4). St. Gregory of 
Nyssa says that holy Communion is this cellar of 
wine, in which the soul is so inebriated with divine 
love that she forgets the earth and all creatures: 
it is thus the soul languishes with holy charity. 



238 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



God is love, and a fire of love. And this fire of 
love, the Eternal Word, came to light upon earth. 
" I am come to cast fire on the earth ; and what will 
I but that it be kindled ?" (Luke xii. 49.) Oh ! what 
burning flames of holy love does Jesus kindle in the 
souls that receive Him in this sacrament with a de- 
sire of being inflamed with His love! The Eucha- 
rist is a fire which inflames us ; we should retire from 
the holy table so on fire with love that the devil dare 
not attack us. 

But some will say: I do not communicate often 
because I am cold in divine love. " But," says Ger- 
son, "he who acts in this manner is like the man 
who refuses to approach the fire because he feels 
cold." The greater, then, is our tepidity, the more 
frequently ought we to receive the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, provided we have a desire to love God. " If," 
says St. Francis de Sales, in his " Devout Life," chap, 
xxi., "you are asked why you communicate so fre- 
quently, say that two sorts of persons ought to com- 
municate often — the perfect and the imperfect; the 
perfect to preserve perfection, and the imperfect to 
acquire perfection." St. Bonaventure speaks in a 
similar way, and says that we must approach holy 
Communion trusting in the mercy of God. The 
more a person feels sick, the more he stands in 
need of a physician. 

Affections and Prayers. 

Lover of souls, O my Jesus ! it is not in Thy 
power to give us greater proofs of love in 
order to show us that Thou lovest us. And 
what more couldst Thou invent to induce us to love 
Thee ? Ah ! grant, O Infinite Goodness ! that I may 
love Thee tenderly and with all my strength ! And 
who is there that has greater claims on the affec- 
tions of my heart than Thou, my Redeemer, Who, 
after giving Thy life for my salvation, hast given 




Exercises far Holy Communion. 



?39 



me Thyself entirely in this sacrament? Ah! Lord, 
may I always remember Thy love in order to forget 
all things, and to love Thee alone without interrup- 
tion and without reserve! 1 love Thee, my Jesus, 
above all things, and I wish to love only Thee. 
Banish from my heart, I entreat Thee, all affections 
which are not for Thee. I thank Thee for giving me 
time to love Thee, and to weep over my offences 
against Thee. My Jesus. I desire that Thou mayest be 
the only object of my affections. Assist me. save me, 
and let my salvation consist in loving Thee with my 
whole heart, and of loving Thee always in this life 
and in the next. 

Mary, my Mo:her, obtain for me the love of Jesus 
Christ; pray to Him for me. 



My Beloved \ my Love, my Life, my best, my only Good. 

M. B. — L The grace we should ask of God above all others." says 
St. Francis de Sales, ** is that of loving- Him; thus all our prayers, 
actions, sighs, and intentions should be directed to obtaining- from 
God that holy love which is :he best of gifts.'' 

II. We shall here find several aspirations that a loving soul can 
make to God ; but we must observe, first, that the best aspirations 
are those which spring spontaneously :rom the heart: and. secondly, 
that when the soul finds itself united to God by means of any of the 
following aspirations, or by any other, we should not go further, but 
dwell on that one. repeating it over and over again so long as we 
find therein food for our piety. 



God, prostrate at Thy feet. I ask Thee not 



W*A jjj ::r r::::es. pleasures, nor honors, but only 
,-aogJ| £ or y^y | ove . anc | at even- step I take., every 
look I give, even* breath I draw, I have the inten- 
tion of asking Thee for Thy love. 

My beloved Jesus. Thou hast said that Thou wish- 
est to be found even by those who seek Thee not, 
and, indeed, Thou didst even come in search of me 
when I was fleeing from Thee ; wilt Thou flee from 
me now that I am seeking Thee, and that I am seek- 
ing only Thee ? 



SLftrr ?£olr> Communion. 




240 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Vouchsafe to bind me to Thee with those sweet 
bonds wherewith Thou dost bind those who love 
Thee ; and bind me so that I may never again be 
separated from Thee. Inflame me with Thy love. 
One single spark of that divine fire would suffice to 
make me forget all ; but one spark will not content 
me. I would have flames, a conflagration, which 
would instantly consume in me all attachment to 
creatures, and make me burn entirely with love of 
Thee, my only and infinite Good ! 

I give myself entirely to Thee. Wilt Thou not 
take me ? Thou hast said that Thou wilt not cast out 
whoever cometh to Thee (John vi. 37). Ah ! my 
God, receive me, take me altogether, and so unite me 
to Thee that I may think only of Thee, love but 
Thee, seek and desire but Thee ; be Thou the only 
object of all my thoughts, my transports of love, my 
desires. True friend of my soul, tell me : what re- 
turn wouldst Thou have from me for all the mer- 
cies, the invitations, the lights Thou bestowest on 
me ? Is it my poor heart that Thou askest ? Behold 
it : I give it Thee entirely ; do Thou take possession 
of it. 

Vain creatures, leave me; ye will never see me 
again. Ask me not again for my affection, since I 
want nothing more from you. Give pleasures, goods, 
and honors to whoever asks for them ; as for me, 
" I have found Him Whom my soul loveth" (Cant, 
iii. 4), and Who is all-sufficient for me. He Who 
alone is worthy of my affections has taken them all 
for Himself. 

My Beloved, detach me from all that is not God. 
Console me Thyself when I am in affliction ; sustain 
me when my courage fails ; and chastise me also, 
when necessary. I will kiss Thy loving hand, which 
chastises me out of goodness for me. So that Thou 
dost not deprive me of the happiness of loving Thee, 
send me all Thy chastisements. Happy souls, 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



2X1 



dwelling in that beautiful country of love where all 
breaths love : " whither is thy Beloved turned aside, 
and we will seek Him with Thee?" (Cant. v. 17.) 
Ah ! tell me of this infinite beauty which ye now 
contemplate unveiled ; inflame us, poor exiles here 
below, with love of that beauty, so that we, too, may 
lovingly seek it. 

But better is it to say with the sacred spouse : 
" Come, O south wind, blow through my garden, 
and let the aromatical spices thereof flow." Yes, 
come with Thy divine warmth, breath of the Holy 
Ghost, come and make Thy influence felt within the 
garden of my soul, and then the perfumes of love 
will flow around, rejoicing the Heart of my God. 

O Jesus, sweetest object of my love, wound my 
heart with one of those burning arrows which make 
souls die to all else but Thee, and live to Thy love 
alone. 

My Beloved, since Thou again callest me to love 
Thee, by enlightening me with Thy light and making 
me hear Thy gentle voice, do Thou draw me to Thee, 
and leave me not till Thou seest me all Thine. 

Already, my God, I feel a great desire of loving Thee ; 
but I am too weak to love Thee as I ought. Lord, 
since Thou dost inspire this good desire in my heart, 
grant me the strength of accomplishing it ; impart 
to me the love Thou dost desire from me. Thou 
Who, by Thy grace, makest known to me the riches 
of Thy goodness, incline me to love it as much as I 
am able, and as much as I desire to love it. 

Loving souls who on this earth seek but God, 
raise your voices to those insensate beings who love 
the world, and make them understand how, even in 
this valley of tears, Jesus procures more happiness 
for those who serve Him than the world can bestow 
on its partisans by overwhelming them with its 
benefits. 

Lord, grant me Thy love, and I will renounce all 



242 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



else that Thou couldst give me. Only make me 
love Thee, and I consent to be deprived of every- 
thing, to be scorned, abandoned by every one, to be 
overwhelmed with misfortunes; for no sorrow can 
overwhelm a soul which loves Thee entirely. 



SEVENTH EXERCISE. 

Before ;H}oli> (tommumon* 
lESUS, knowing that His hour was come that 



He should pass oat of this world to the 



ll^i] Father, having loved His own who were in 
the world, He loved them unto the end" (John xiii. i). 
Our most loving Redeemer, on the last night of His 
life, knowing that the much-longed-for time had 
arrived when He should die for the love of man, had 
not the heart to leave us alone in this valley of tears ; 
but in order that He might not be separated from 
us even by death, He would leave us His whole self 
as food in the sacrament of the altar ; giving us to 
understand by this that, having given us this gift 
of infinite worth, He could give us nothing further 
to prove to us His love: "He loved them unto the 
end !" St. John Chrysostom says the words " unto 
the end " signify an " excessive and supreme love." St. 
Mary Magdalen de Pazzi said that a soul, after hav- 
ing communicated, might say, " It is consummated ;" 
that is to say, My God, having given Himself to me in 
this holy Communion, has nothing more to give me. 
This saint one day asked one of her novices what 
she had been thinking of after Communion ; she 
answered, " Of the love of Jesus." " Yes," replied 
the saint, "when we think of this love, we cannot 
pass on to other thoughts, but must stop upon love." 

O Saviour of the world, what dost Thou expect 
from men, that Thou hast been induced even to 




Exercises for Holy Communion. 



243 



give them Thyself in food ? And what can there be 
left to Thee to give us after this sacrament, in order 
to oblige us to love Thee ? Ah, my most loving 
God, enlighten me that I may know what an excess 
of goodness this has been of Thine, to reduce Thy- 
self unto becoming my food in holy Communion ! 
If Thou hast, thereforcgiven Thyself entirely to me, 
it is just that I also should give myself wholly to 
Thee. Yes, my Jesus, I give myself entirely to Thee. 
I love Thee above every good, and I desire to re- 
ceive Thee in order to love Thee more. Come, 
therefore, and come often, into my soul, and make 
it entirely Thine. Oh, that I could truly say to Thee, 
as the loving St. Philip Neri said to Thee when he 
received Thee in the Viaticum : " Behold my love, 
behold my love ; give me my love." St. Laurence 
Justinian says: "We have seen the All-wise made 
foolish by excess of love." We have seen a God 
Who is wisdom itself become a fool through the 
love He has borne to man. " Ah, does it not seem," 
exclaims St. Augustine, " a folly of love that a God 
should give Himself as food to His creatures ?" And 
what more could a creature have said to his Creator? 

According to St. Denis, God, through the great- 
ness of His love, has almost gone out of Himself ; 
for, being God, He has gone so far as to become man, 
and even to make Himself the food of men. But, 
O Lord, such an excess was not becoming Thy maj- 
esty. " No, but love," answers St. John Chrysostom 
for Jesus, " does not go about looking for reasons 
when it desires to do good, and to make itself known 
to the object beloved ; it goes, not where it is be- 
coming, but where it is carried by its desire." O my 
Jesus, how ought I not to be covered with shame 
when I consider that, having Thee before me, Who 
art the Infinite Good, and lovely above every good, 
and so full of love for my soul, I have yet turned 
back to love vile and contemptible things ! O my 



244 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



God, I beseech Thee, discover to me every day more 
and more the greatness of Thy goodness, in order 
that I may every day be more and more enamoured 
of Thee, and may labor more and more to please 
Thee. Ah, my Lord, can I love any object more 
beautiful, more good, more holy, more amiable, than 
Thee? I love Thee, Infinite Goodness ; I love Thee 
more than myself, and I desire to live only that I 
may love Thee, Who dost deserve all my love. 

St. Paul remarks also on the time which Jesus 
chooses to make us this gift of the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, a gift which surpasses all the other gifts which 
an Almighty God could make; he remarks : " The 
Lord Jesus, the same night in which He was be- 
trayed, took bread, and, giving thanks, broke, and 
said, 'Take ye and eat; this is My Body, which shall 
be delivered for you" (i Cor. xi. 23). In that same 
night, then, when men w r ere thinking of preparing 
torments and death for Jesus, our beloved Redeemer 
thought of leaving them Himself in the Blessed 
Sacrament ; giving us thereby to understand that 
His love was so great that, instead of being cooled 
by so many injuries, it was then more than ever 
yearning towards us. O most loving Saviour, how 
could st Thou have so great love for men as to choose 
to remain with them on the earth to be their food, 
after they had driven Thee away from it with so 
much ingratitude? 

Let us also remark the immense desire which 
Jesus had during all His life for the arrival of that 
night in which He had determined to leave us this 
great pledge of His love. For at the moment of 
His instituting this most sweet sacrament He said : 
" With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with 
you" (Luke xxii. 15) ; words which discover to us 
the ardent desire which He had to unite Himself to 
us in Communion through the love which He bore 
us. And Jesus still retains the same desire toward 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 245 



all the souls that love Him." There is not a bee," said 
He one day to St. Matilda, " that throws itself with 
such eagerness upon the flowers in order to suck out 
the honey, as I, through the violence of My love, 
hasten to the soul that desires Me." 

O Lover too full of love, there are no greater 
proofs left for Thee to give me in order to persuade 
me that Thou dost love me. I bless Thy goodness 
for it. O my Jesus, I beseech Thee, draw me entirely 
to Thyself. Let it suffice to others to love Thee with 
a love only appreciative and predominant, for I know 
that Thou wilt be satisfied with it ; but I shall not 
be satisfied until I see that I love Thee also with all 
the tenderness of my heart, more than friend, more 
than brother, more than father, and more than 
spouse. And where indeed shall I find a friend, a 
brother, a father, a spouse, who will love me as much 
as Thou hast loved me, my Creator, my Redeemer, 
and my God, Who for the love of me hast spent 
Thy Blood and Thy Life ; and, not content with that, 
dost give Thyself entirely to me in this sacrament 
of love ! I love Thee, then, O my Jesus, with all the 
affections of my soul ; I love Thee more than my- 
self. Oh, help me to love Thee ; I ask nothing more 
of Thee. 

^fter ?gol» ^ommutTtott, 

R*gB*BjE that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood 
BUB abideth in Me, and I in him" (John vi. 57). 

St. Denis, the Areopagite, says that love 
always tends toward union with the object beloved. 
And because food becomes incorporated with him 
who eats it, therefore Our Lord would reduce Him- 
self to food in order that, receiving Him- in holy 
Communion, we might become of one substance 
with Him. "Take ye and eat," said Jesus; "this is 
my Body" (Matt. xxvi. 26). " As if He had said," re- 
marks St. John Chrysostom, "'Eat Me, that the 



246 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



highest union may take place. O man, feed thyself 
on Me, in order that thou and I may become one 
substance.' " " In the same way," says St. Cyril of 
Alexandria, "as two pieces of melted wax unite 
together, so a soul that communicates is so thor- 
oughly united to Jesus that Jesus remains in it, and 
it in Jesus." " O my beloved Redeemer," exclaims 
St. Laurence Justinian, " how couldst Thou ever 
come to love us so much that Thou wouldst unite 
Thyself to us in such a way that Thy heart and ours 
should become but one heart?" 

O Infinite Love, worthy of infinite love, when shall 
I love Thee, my Jesus, as Thou hast loved me ? O 
Divine Food, Sacrament of Love, when wilt Thou draw 
me entirely to Thyself? Thou hast left nothing un- 
done in order to make Thyself loved by me. I am con- 
stantly intending to begin to love Thee, I constantly 
promise Thee to do so ; but I never begin. I will 
from this day begin to love Thee in earnest. Oh, 
do Thou enable me to do so ! Enlighten me, inflame 
me, detach me from earth, and permit me not to re- 
sist any longer so many enticements to loving Thee. 
I love Thee with my whole heart, and I will there- 
fore leave everything in order to please Thee, my 
Life, my Love, my All. I will constantly unite my- 
self to Thee in this holy sacrament, in order to detach 
myself from everything else and love Thee only. 
My God, I hope, through Thy gracious assistance, to 
be enabled to do so. 

St. Bernard says that God loves us for no other 
reason but that He might be loved by us : " God only 
loved that He might be loved." And therefore 
Our Saviour protested that He had come upon earth 
in order to make Himself loved : " I am come to send 
a fire upon the earth" (Luke xii. 49). And oh, what 
flames of holy love does Jesus kindle in souls in this 
most divine sacrament ! The venerable Father 
Francis Olimpio, a Theatine, said that nothing was 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



247 



so fitted to exciting our hearts to love the Sovereign 
Good as the most holy Communion. Hesychius 
called Jesus in the sacrament a " divine fire." 

O Love of my soul, Most Holy Sacrament ! oh, 
that I could always remember Thee, to forget every- 
thing else, and that I could love Thee alone without 
interruption and without reserve! Ah, my Jesus, 
Thou hast knocked so frequently at the door of my 
heart that Thou hast at last, I hope, entered therein. 
But, since Thou hast entered there, drive away, I 
pray Thee, all those affections that do not tend 
towards Thyself ! Possess Thyself so entirely of me 
that I may be able with truth to say to Thee from 
this day forth, with the prophet : " What have I in 
heaven ? and besides Thee what do I desire on 
earth? The God of my heart, and my portion for- 
ever" (Ps. lxxii. 25). Yes, O my God, what else do I 
desire but Thee upon earth or in heaven? Thou 
alone art and shalt always be the only Lord of my 
heart and my will ; and Thou alone shalt be all my 
portion, all my riches, in this life and in the next. 

" Go," said the prophet Isaias, "go, publish every- 
where the loving inventions of our God, in order to 
make Himself loved of men" (Is. xii. 3). And what in- 
ventions has not the love of Jesus conceived in order 
to make Himself loved by us ! Even on the cross He 
has opened fountains of grace to us in His wounds ; 
and to drink of these fountains it is sufficient for us 
to ask it with faith. And, not satisfied with this, 
He has given us His whole self in the Most Holy 
Sacrament. 

"O man," says St. John Chrysostom, "wherefore 
art thou so niggardly, and dost use so much reserve in 
thy love for that God Who hath given His whole 
self to Thee without any reserve ?" " For," says the 
Angelic Doctor, "this is just what Jesus has done in 
the sacrament of the altar, wherein ' He has given 
all that He is and all that He has.'" St. Bernard, 



24§ Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



transported with love when he considered this, ex- 
claimed : " My Jesus would make Himself the in- 
separable guest of my heart." 

Ah, my beloved Jesus, tell me, what more is there 
left for Thee to invent in order to make Thyself 
loved ? And shall I, then, continue to be so ungrate- 
ful to Thee as I have hitherto been ? My Lord, per- 
mit it not. Thou hast said that he who feeds on 
Thy Flesh in Communion shall live by the virtue of 
Thy grace. " He that eateth Me, the same also shall 
live by Me" (John vi. 58). Since, then, Thou dost 
not disdain that I should receive Thee in holy Com- 
munion, grant that my soul may always live the true 
life of Thy grace. I repent, O Sovereign Good, of 
having despised it in times past; but I bless Thee 
that Thou dost give me time to weep over the of- 
fences that I have committed against Thee, and to 
love Thee in this world. During the life that re- 
mains to me, I will place all my affections in Thee, 
and endeavor to please Thee as much as I possibly 
can. Help me, O my Jesus ; forsake me not, I 
beseech Thee. Save me by Thy merits, and let my 
salvation be to love Thee always in this life and in 
eternity. Mary, my Mother, do thou also assist me. 



EIGHTH EXERCISE. 

This is a suitable exercise for those who prefer reflections and 
mental prayer. 

<&n tf)t ^vtpuvution for 3^ol2 Gtommxinion* 

The preparation for holy Communion is twofold : remote and 
proximate. I. Remote preparation consists in detachment from 
creatures. St. Augustine says : " If you expected a visit from a 
great personage, to whom certain objects in your house would be 
offensive, would you not remove them before his arrival ? When, 
then, you wish to receive Jesus Christ, you should remove from your 
heart all earthly affections which you know to be displeasing to Him. 
Whoever wishes to communicate often must empty his heart of the 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 249 



things of the earth. II. As for the proximate or immediate prepara- 
tion, you should begin it the evening before Communion by acts of 
love and desire. As soon as you awake in the morning, consider 
that you are to receive Jesus Christ, and with fervent aspirations in- 
vite your spouse to hasten into your soul. 

Immediately before Communion, even though you 
have made mental prayer, excite in your soul lively 
sentiments of faith, of humility, and of desire. 

In order to excite these virtues in you before receiving holy Com- 
munion, ask yourself : Who is coming to me ? To whom is He 
coming? Why does He come ? 

I. 

Animate your faith by reflecting on the majesty 
of Him you are about to receive. If faith 
did not assure us of it, who could ever 
imagine that a God vouchsafed to make Himself the 
food of His own creatures? But the Church has 
declared in several of her councils, and specially in 
the Council of Trent, that OurRedeemerJesusChrist, 
is really and truly present in the consecrated Host. 
How beautiful was the reply of St. Louis, King of 
France, to a person inviting Him to behold Jesus 
Christ, Who appeared in the consecrated Host under 
the form of an infant . " Let those," said the holy 
king, " who do not believe by faith go and see ; I 
believe more firmly than if I saw Jesus Christ with 
my eyes." And he remained where he was. 

Who is coming to me? My God — my Redeemer — my Father— my 
Brother— my Friend— my Physician — my Judge — my Good Shepherd 
— my Model — my King — my Spouse — my Well-beloved — my Light — 
my Master — my crucified and glorified Saviour— my Bread of Life— 
my Pledge of future life — my Treasure — the Infinite Good— the 
divine Fire — the Prince of peace — the Wine whence springeth virgins 
— the Most Beautiful among the sons of men, etc. 

II. 



j]ou should excite sentiments of humility by 
considering that, in spite of your misery, you 
are to receive a God on your tongue and into 
your heart. The venerable Paul Segneri used to 



2 So Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



say that for a person going to Communion the most 
appropriate sentiment is one of astonishment, which 
would make him exclaim : " What ! a God to me ! 
a God to me !" At least say to Him with true 
humility : " Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst 
enter under my roof !" To humility unite an act of 
contrition and of hope, confidently expecting that 
Jesus Christ, when He comes into your soul, will 
enrich you with His graces. 

To whom is He coming? He is coming to a vile creature— to a 
sinner — to a sick person — to a hungry soul — to a poor person — to a 
blind person — to an afflicted person — to a pilgrim — to a stray sheep — 
to an impure being — to a soul that is cold, lukewarm, troubled, 
tempted, timorous, dumb — to a barren soil— to a tree bearing no fruit 
—to a despoiled garden — to weakness itself, etc. 

III. 



ou must excite an ardent desire of receiving 
Jesus Christ in the Holy Sacrament. He 
who receives it with the strongest desire 
derives from it the greatest grace. St. Francis de 
Sales used to say that He Who gives Himself to us 
only through love should be received only through 
love. Our Redeemer said once to St. Matilda: 
" When you receive holy Communion, desire to have 
the greatest love which any saint has ever had for 
Me, and in return for this desire I will accept your 
love in proportion to the fervor with which you 
desired it." 

Why does He come? He comes to console me— to enrich me— to 
heal me— to pardon me — to make me like unto Himself— to raise me 
— to fortify me— to enlighten me — to direct me — to teach me — to 
purify me — to satisfy my hunger— to give me new life — to calm me — 
to sanctify me — to adorn me with virtues — to unite me to God — to 
consecrate me to God — to give me victory, etc. 

2Tf)anfcsgtbmg after 74oI» Communion* 

||fter Communion remain with Jesus Christ 
as long as you can. Father John d'Avila 
said that we should set great value on the 
time after Communion, because it is a precious time 



Exercises for Holy Communion. 



251 



for acquiring treasures of grace. St. Mary Magdalen 
de Pazzi was accustomed to say: " The time after 
Communion is the most precious time in our life : 
it is the fittest time for negotiating with God, and 
for inflaming our souls with His divine love. At this 
time we have no need of masters or of books, for 
Jesus Christ Himself teaches us how we are to love 
Him." 

What acts should we make? — Employ yourself af- 
ter Communion in acts of recollection, of thanks- 
giving, of love, of sorrow, of oblation of yourself and 
of all you possess ; but above all in petitions to 
Jesus Christ for His graces, and particularly for the 
gifts of final perseverance and of His holy love. In 
these acts consists that negotiation of which St. 
Teresa speaks : " After Communion, let us not lose 
so good an opportunity of negotiating* God does 
not repay with ingratitude the hospitality He re- 
ceives in any abode where He is well received. 

What should we ask for? — To avoid mortal sin, venial sin, and 
all occasions of sin— to flee from tepidity — to subdue our passions — 
to conquer temptations— to frequent the sacraments worthily— to 
practise the virtues of: Faith — Hope — Charity — Confidence— Love 
of God and of our neighbor— Detachment from creatures— Purity of 
mind, heart, and body— Obedience — Humility— Sweetness — Mortifica- 
tion—Recollection — Love of silence — Hatred of the world — Spirit of 
prayer— Patience — Conformity to the will of God — Purity of inten- 
tion — Holy perseverance — A good death — Paradise, etc., etc. 

For whom shou/d we pray? — The Sovereign Pontiff— The Church 
—Our country— Relations— Friends — Enemies — Priests — Missiona- 
ries—Sinners — Heretics — Infidels— Souls in purgatory, etc., etc. 

If you are troubled with dryness and dissipation 
of mind, read a book which contains devout affec- 
tions towards God. The entire day of Communion 
should be spent in more than usual recollection. 



2 $2 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



%OK>in$ Hspirattons to 3esua in tbe 
Blesaeo Sacrament. 

They can be used for Communion, or in visiting the Blessed 
Sacrament. 

before <&ommumoit, 
I. 

l$gg||0 forth, ye daughters of Sion, and see King 
kRn Solomon in the diadem wherewith his mother 
l*"^™ ! crowned him in the day of his espousals" 
(Cant. iii. n). O daughters of grace, O ye souls 
who love God, quit the darkness of earth, and be- 
hold Jesus, your King, crowned with a crown of 
thorns ; the crown of contempt and suffering with 
which the impious synagogue, His mother, crowned 
Him on the day of His espousals, — that is to say, on 
the day of His death, by the means of which He 
espoused Himself on the cross to our souls. Go forth 
again, and behold Him all full of compassion and 
love, now that He comes to unite Himself to thee in 
this sacrament of love. 

Has it indeed, then, cost Thee so much, my be- 
loved Jesus, before Thou couldst come and unite 
Thyself to souls in this most sweet sacrament? 
Wert Thou indeed obliged to suffer so bitter and 
ignominious a death ? Oh, come, then, without de- 
lay, and unite Thyself to my soul also. It was at 
one time Thy enemy by sin ; but now Thou desirest 
to espouse it by Thy grace. Come, O Jesus, my 
Spouse, for never more will I betray Thee ; I am de- 
termined to be ever faithful to Thee. As a loving 



Aspi?'ations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 253 



spouse, my whole thought shall be to find out Thy 
pleasure. I am determined to love Thee without 
reserve ; I desire to be all Thine, my Jesus, — all, all, 
all. 

II. 

bundle of myrrh is my Beloved to me ; He 
shall abide between my breasts" (Cant. i. 12). 
The myrrh plant, when pricked, sends forth 
tears, and a healthful liquor from the wounds. Be- 
fore His Passion, our Jesus determined to pour 
forth His divine Blood from His wounds in so pain- 
ful a way, to give it afterwards all to us for our salva- 
tion in this Bread of Life. Come, then, O my 
beloved Bundle of Myrrh, O my enamoured Jesus ; 
Thou art indeed a subject of grief and pity to me 
when I consider Thee all wounded for me on the 
Cross : but then, when I receive Thee in this most 
sweet sacrament, Thou becomest, indeed, to me 
more sweet and delicious than a bunch of the choic- 
est grapes can be to one who is parched with thirst: 
"A cluster of Cyprus my Love is to me, in the vine- 
yards of Engaddi" (Cant. i. 13). Come, then, to my 
soul, and revive and satiate me with Thy holy love. 
Ah, what sweetness do I feel in my soul at the 
thought that I have to receive within myself that 
same Saviour of mine Who for my salvation was 
pleased to be drained of all His Blood, and sacrificed 
on a cross ! " He shall abide between my breasts." 
No. my Jesus, never more will I drive Thee hence ; 
and Thou shalt never more have to leave me. I am 
determined ever to love Thee, and to be always 
united to, and closely bound up with, Thee. I will 
always belong to Jesus, and Jesus will be always 
mine: forever, forever, forever " He shall abide be- 
tween my breasts," 




254 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



III. 



hile the King was at His repose my spikenard 
sent forth the odor thereof" (Cant. i. n). 
When Jesus comes to dwell in a soul in the 
holy Communion, oh, how clearly does she see and 
know her own nothingness by the bright light which 
the King of heaven brings with Him! As the 
spikenard is the most lowly amongst plants, so does 
the soul confess itself the most vile of all creatures; 
and when thus humbled, oh, how sweet is the odor 
which she breathes forth to her beloved King ! and 
for this reason He invites her to unite herself to 
Him in closer and closer bonds. 

If, then, my soul, thou desirest that thy Jesus 
should repose in thee, consider thy own nothingness. 
Who art thou ? what dost thou deserve ? Humble 
thyself as thou shouldst do, by casting away from 
thyself all self-esteem which may keep Jesus at a 
distance from thee, or prevent his coming to repose 
in thee. Come to me, my dear Redeemer, come ; 
and by Thy divine light make me to see my own 
lowliness, my misery, my nothingness, that Thou 
mayest be enabled to repose in me with satisfaction 
to Thyself, to separate Thyself no more from me. 

IV. 

jjHiNK of the Lord in goodness" (Wisd. i. i). 
My soul, why art thou so timid and fearful 
at the sight of the goodness and infinite love 
of thy Lord? Why such distrust? Now that thou 
art made worthy to receive within thee Jesus Christ, 
let thy sentiments correspond to this grace, by con- 
fiding in that goodness of God, Who gives Thee all 
Himself. Truly His judgments are terrible, but 
they are terrible only to the proud and to the obsti- 
nate ; but to the humble and penitent, who desire to 



Aspirations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 255 

love and please Him, His judgments are all mercy 
and love emanating from a Heart full of compassion 
and kindness. So that David, considering these 
judgments of God, superabounds with hope: "I 
have more than hoped in Thy judgments" (Ps. 
cxviii. 43). These judgments made Him happy and 
consoled him : " Thy judgments are delightful" (ib. 
39) : " I remembered Thy judgments,, and was com- 
forted " (ib. 52). 

Ah ! our great God is only too loving and gener- 
ous to those who seek Him with love: " The Lord 
is good to the soul that seeketh Him" (Lam.iii. 25). 
How good is God to those who seek to unite 
their will with the Divine Will : " How good is 
God to Israel, to those that are of a right heart " 
(Ps. lxxii. 1). My God, my Love, my Hope, my All, 
I desire Thee, and Thee alone, — to love Thee, to 
please Thee, and to do Thy will in all things. Let 
me always find Thee ; make me agreeable to Thee ; 
and never let me leave Thee again. So be it. Amen, 
amen. 

V. 

l^'jgHlHE voice of my Beloved knocking : Open to 
fill Me ' M y sister, My love, My dove, My unde- 
ItSLUjJ filed " (Cant. v. 2). Such are the words 
which Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament speaks to 
those who love and desire Him. Open to Me, he 
says, O soul, thy heart, and there I will come to unite 
Myself to thee ; so that, being one with Me, thou 
mayest become My sister by resemblance, My friend 
by participation in My riches, My dove by the gift of 
simplicity, My undefined by the gift of purity which 
I shall communicate to thee. 

And then He goes on to say, Open to Me, " for 
My head is full of dew, and my locks of the drops of 
the night" (ib.). As if He said: Consider, My be- 
loved, that I have waited for thee all the night of 



256 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



the bad life thou hast led in the midst of darkness 
and error. Behold now, in stead of bringing scourges 
to chastise thee, I come in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, with my hair full of heavenly dew, to extin- 
guish in thee all impure desires towards creatures, 
and to kindle in thee the happy fire of My love. 
Come, then, O my beloved Jesus, and work in me 
what Thou wilt. I renounce the love of all things, 
in order to be all Thine, and that Thou mayest make 
me as Thou wouldst have me, entirely united to Thy 
will. 

VI. 

j]ET my Beloved come into His garden, and eat 
the fruit of His apple-trees " (Cant. v. 1). 
Cornelius a Lapide says that this is precisely 
the invitation that a soul desirous of the holy Com- 
munion makes to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 
Come, my Beloved, she says, into my poor heart, 
which at one unhappy time did not belong to Thee ; 
but which now, by the help of Thy grace, has re- 
turned to Thee: "Come and eat the fruit of Thy 
apple-trees." Come and taste in me those virtues 
which Thou dost bring with Thyself when Thou 
comest to me. O my Lord, at least for the honor 
of Thy majesty, purify my heart, adorn it, inflame it 
with Thy love, and make it beautiful in Thy sight, 
that it may be a worthy dwelling-place for Thee. 

VII. 

j]0U shall be carried at the breasts" (Is. lxvi. 12). 
It is thus that Jesus from the sacred altars 
invites our souls. Come, He says, and suck 
My divine milk, which I give you in this sacrament, 
wherein I offer you my own Blood to drink. "But 
what shepherd," says St. John Chrysostom, "ever 
feeds his sheep with his own blood ? Even mothers 
give their children to nurses to be fed. But Thou, 



Aspirations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 257 

divine Pastor, art so enamoured of our souls as to 
wish to nourish them with Thine own Blood. St. 
Catharine of Siena, then, did well in approaching 
the holy Communion as if panting to suck the di- 
vine milk, in the same way as an infant presses anx- 
iously to suck the milk from its mother's breast. 
And well might the Sacred Spouse say to her Be- 
loved, " Thy breasts are better than wine" (Cant. i. 
1 1 : signifying that she esteemed the milk of this 
sacrament, as the sacred interpreters explain it, 
above all the pleasures of the world, which are tran- 
sitory and vain, as are transitory and vain also the 
joys and pleasures of wine. O my beloved Jesus, 
since Thou wilt feed me this morning with Thine 
own Blood in the holy Communion, it is but reason- 
able that I should willingly renounce all the delights 
and pleasures which the world might give me. Yes, 

1 give them all up ; I protest that I choose rather to 
sutler all evils united to Thee, than to enjoy all the 
goods of the world away from Thee. It is sufficient 
happiness for me to please Thee, Who art worthy of 
all that we can do to please Thee. I will say, then, 
with St. Ignatius of Loyola, give me, I pray Thee, 
but Thy love and Thy grace"; that is sufficient for 
me. and I am contented. 



AT, O friends, and drink, and be inebriated, 



my dearly beloved" (Cant. v. 1). The 



' " " friends." that is, beginners, who scarcely en- 
joy the divine friendship, when they receive the 
holy Communion, feed indeed on the Flesh of Jesus 
Christ, but they eat with labor; while those who are 
on the way to perfection eat with less difficulty. But 
by the " dearly beloved" are meant the perfect, who, 
inebriated with holy love, live almost out of the 
world, forgetting all things, even themselves, and 
think only how they may love and please their God, 



VIII. 




258 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



My beloved Jesus, I am not yet perfect ; but Thou 
canst make me perfect. I am not dear to Thee, and 
it is my own fault, because I have been ungrateful 
and unfaithful ; but Thou canst make me become so, 
by inebriating me this morning with Thy love. " Thy 
kingdom come." Come, my beloved Lord, and take 
possession of my whole soul. Establish Thy king- 
dom in me ; so that Thou alone mayest reign in me, 
that Thy love alone may command me, and that Thy 
love only may I obey. Inebriate me, inebriate me en- 
tirely ; make me forget all creatures, myself, my in- 
terests, and all, that I may love nothing but Thee, my 
God, my Treasure, all my Good, my All ; may I sigh 
for Thee alone, seek Thee alone, think of Thee alone, 
and please Thee alone. Do this by the merits 
of Thy Passion. This only do I ask of Thee ; this 
I hope. 

IX. 

|tay me up with flowers, compass me about 
with apples : because I languish with love" 
(Cant. ii. 5). The languor of the soul is 
when, forgetful of herself and her affairs, she thinks 
only of seeking refreshment for her languishing love 
by holy desires, which are the flowers, and by good 
works, which are the fruits, of divine love. 

O my God, O Blessed Sacrament, since Thou wilt 
have me to be all Thine, make me what Thou 
wouldst have me. Make me forget everything that 
does not belong to Thy love. Increase in me always 
more and more the desire of pleasing Thee. Grant 
that these flowers may not always remain flowers ; 
make them also become fruits, by my doing and 
suffering something for Thee, Who hast done and 
suffered only too much for me. O God, O God of 
my soul, make Thyself loved, but really loved, by 
me, — not only in word, but in deed,— before death 
comes upon me. 



Aspz'ratzons to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 259 



X. 

|y Beloved is white and ruddy, chosen out of 
thousands" (Cant. v. 10). Our beloved Jesus 
is all white by His purity, and all red by the 
flames of His divine love. My spotless Lamb, all 
burning with love for me, when shall I make myself 
like to Thee, pure as Thou art, O lily; burning with 
love of Thee as Thou dost burn with love of me ? 
Yes, I do renounce all other love, and choose for 
myself Thy sweet love, my God, my All. Begone, 
ye creatures ! what do you want with me ? Go and 
enjoy the love of those who seek you. I wish only 
for my God ; for God alone will I keep ail my heart 
and all my affections. 

XL 



he goodness and kindness of God our Saviour 
appeared " (Tit. iii. 4). St. Paul says that 
1 God, by making Himself man, showed the 
world how far His goodness towards us went. But 
by giving Himself in this sacrament, He makes us 
know the depth of the tenderness of His love to- 
wards our souls. Does it not seem madness to say, 
" Eat my flesh, and drink my blood "? St. Augustine 
says, does it not seem a madness, Jesus Christ say- 
ing to us, as He said in that blessed night, " Take 
and eat, this is My Body"? O men, He says, to 
make you understand how much I love you, I will 
that you should come and feed on My very flesh. 
O holy faith ! And who among us would have been 
able to demand so much ? Who could have even 
thought of it, if Jesus had not thought it and 
done it? Some of the followers of Jesus Christ, 
when they heard that from His mouth, that is, that 
He wished to give them His Body to eat, said that 
this was too hard a thing, and that they could 
neither believe nor hear it : " This saying is hard, 



260 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



and who can hear it?" (St. John vi. 61.) And they 
went so far as to leave Him, because they would not 
believe it : but yet it is of faith that so it is. 

But what else does Jesus Christ ask of us, by all 
this He has done for us, but that we should love 
Him ? as the Lord had once before instructed His 
people: " And now, Israel, what does the Lord thy 
God require of thee, but that thou . . . love Him and 
serve Him with all thy heart?" 

O my most loving Jesus, what dost Thou not give, 
what dost Thou not promise to those that love Thee ? 
Thou dost promise them Thy love : "I love those 
that love me" (Prov. viii. 17). Thou dost promise 
them Thy caresses, even when they have already 
turned their backs upon Thee : " Turn ye to Me, and 
I will turn to you" (Zach. i. 3). Thou dost promise 
to come with the Father and the Holy Spirit to 
abide forever in their souls: "He who loveth Me 
shall be loved of My Father . . . and We will come 
to him and make Our abode with him" (John xiv. 
21-23). 

And what more hast Thou to promise and to give, 
to entice men to love Thee ? My dearest Lord, I see 
how it is ; Thou dost wish also to be loved by me : 
yes, I love Thee with all my heart ; and if I do not 
love Thee, do Thou teach me to love Thee ; make 
me to love Thee, and to love Thee above all things : 
" Give what Thou commandest, and command what 
Thou wilt." 

XII. 

Ift'E^I not cons id er me, that I am brown; for the 
3|iJ sun has discolored me" (Cant. i. 5). The 
' — ^ heat of my passions, said the Sacred Spouse 
(and still more ought I to say it, O my dear Jesus), 
has deformed and blackened me : " I am black, but 
beautiful " (Cant. i. 4). But I am black by my own 
works ; I am beautiful by Thy merits, O my Re- 



Aspirations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 261 



deemer. I was black at one time, when I was alone 
and separated from Thee ; but now that I am unit- 
ed to Thee, Thy grace, Thy beauty, Thy love has 
made me beautiful. Yes, my Jesus, so do I hope. 
Mayest Thou be blessed forever. Never permit me 
to lose Thee again, and to return to my former de- 
pravity. I love Thee, O Infinite Beauty ; I wish also 
that my soul should be beautiful, always beautiful, 
that it may be always pleasing in Thy divine sight, 
and that Thou mayest always love it. 

&fter ?^ol» Gtotrtmunion. 
I. 

raw me : we will run after Thee to the odor 
of Thy ointments" (Cant. i. 3). Since, then, 
O my dear Jesus, I cannot, while in this life, 
ascend to Thee, Thou hast willed to descend to me, 
to unite Thyself to me in this sacrament of love. 
Draw me, my Lord, all to Thee. I do not wish to 
draw Thee to me, that Thou shouldst do my pleas- 
ure; but I desire that Thou shouldst draw me so 
entirely to Thee by Thy sweet attractions, that I 
may not be able to desire or do anything else but 
Thy most holy will. It is just that my inclinations 
should yield to Thy disposition. Take me up wholly 
to Thyself ; and, so united, I shall be free from earth- 
ly affections, and shall run with Thee in the path of 
virtue, and be able to repose peacefully in Thy di- 
vine will both in this life and in the next : " In 
peace, in the self-same I will sleep, and I will rest " 
(Ps. iv. 9). 

II. 



he King brought me into the cellar of wine, 
and set in order charity in me" (Cant. ii. 4). 
It is precisely by this cellar of wine that St. 
Bonaventure understands the holy Communion, 



262 



Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



which introduces and then unites the soul to its 
divine King, and gives it to taste that wine of love 
which destroys the desire of created things ; infuses 
a well-regulated love, that is just towards itself, 
charitable towards its neighbor, supreme towards 
God, loving Him above all things, Who above all 
things deserves to be loved. 

O Jesus, my King, only Lord of my heart, Thou 
hast already brought me into the beautiful cellar of 
Thy love, that is, into Thyself, uniting me to Thee 
by means of this sacrament of love. Yes, my Lord, 
I already feel my heart changed. I feel a holy 
desire, which gives me peace, and makes me loathe 
all impure affections, and enkindles in me the pure 
love of Thee. O my Jesus, since Thou hast given 
me an entrance to this beautiful cellar, let me no 
more depart from it. Since Thou hast united Thy- 
self to me, do not leave me again. Detach me from 
the love of all creatures. Unite me to Thee continu- 
ally more and more on this earth, that I may one 
day come to be perfectly united to Thee in heaven ; 
where I shall love Thee face to face with all my 
strength, without interruption and without imper- 
fection throughout all eternity. 



Y Beloved is gone down into His garden . . . 



to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies" 



^Eiik \ ((3 an t. vi. i). My sweet Saviour, since Thou 
dost descend from heaven to come into my soul, 
by Thy grace do Thou make it become Thy garden, 
that Thou mayest gather in it lilies and fruits which 
are agreeable to Thee. Pardon me if I have offend- 
ed Thee. Receive me, if I have left Thee, now that 
I return penitent to Thee. Give me that purity 
which Thou dost desire to see in me. Give me 
strength to do what Thou desirest. Grant me Thy 



III. 




Aspirations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, 263 



true love, and then shall I become pleasing to Thee. 
I sacrifice to Thee all my inclinations, and I desire 
and wish for nothing but to please Thee. 

IV. 



he Sacred Spouse called her Beloved " alto- 
gether desirable." Jesus, to those souls who 
love Him as spouses, makes Himself alto- 
gether desirable, whether He chastises or consoles 
them, whether He appears near or distant, because 
He does it all for love, and that He may be loved. 
Treat me, then, O my Jesus, as Thou wilt, I will always 
love Thee ; whether Thou dost give me sweetnesses 
or tribulations, I know that all will come to me from 
Thy loving Heart, and that all will be for my greater 
good. " My heart is ready, O God, my heart is 
ready." Behold my will is ready, O Lord, to accept 
all that Thou shalt ordain. " I will bless the Lord 
at all times." At all times, whether prosperous or 
adverse, I will bless Thee and love Thee, O my 
Creator. I neither seek nor merit any consolation 
from Thee ; for I have given Thee nothing but bit- 
terness by my sins : I seek only Thy good pleasure. 
Provided Thou art satisfied, I shall be content with 
any punishment. My Jesus, my Jesus, whether far 
off or near, Thou shalt always be desirable to me, 
always dear : whether Thou dost console or afflict 
me, I will always love Thee, always thank Thee. 

V. 



j]HO is this that cometh up from the desert 
flowing with delights, leaning upon her Be- 
loved ?" (Cant. viii. 5.) Who, then, are those 
souls who, living on the earth, esteem it a desert ? 
so that, detached from visible things, they live only 
to God ; as if there was no one else but God, Whom 
alone they love and desire to please. And in this 



264 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



way they almost go out of the world, and raise them- 
selves above it ; enjoying the delights which are ex- 
perienced by those who wish for God alone, and 
who place in God all their hopes. 

Who, then, are these faithful souls, if not those 
who often and with pure love unite themselves to 
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament ? Yes, my God, such 
do I also desire to be by the means of Thy grace, de- 
tached from all things, and to be all Thine. From 
henceforth the world shall be to me a desert, where, 
flying from all attachment to creatures, I will think 
of nothing but Thee; as if Thou and 1 were the only 
persons there. In Thee alone will I put all my con- 
fidence, all my love, O God, O beloved God, - my 
Hope, my Love, my All. 

VI. 

IE5*E3l F s ^ e ^ e a wall, let us build upon it bulwarks 
HB of silver ; if she be a door, let us join it 
1*^*^1 together with boards of cedar" (Cant. viii. 9). 
This is precisely what Jesus does when He comes to 
a soul in the holy Communion. He sees that she is 
a wall too weak to be able to resist the assaults of 
hell ; therefore, by the virtue of the sacrament, He 
fortifies her with bulwarks of silver, that is, with 
His divine light. He sees that she is a door inclined 
easily to be corrupted, and He renews it, adjusting 
her with planks of strength and perseverance, as is 
signified by cedar, which is a strong and incorruptible 
wood ; that is, with the gifts of holy fear, with de- 
tachment from creatures, with the love of prayer, 
with supplications, with holy desires, and still more 
with the gift of divine love, which are the support 
of holy perseverance : " Bread strengthens man's 
heart." Jesus teaches us, that as earthly bread pre- 
serves the life of the body, so the heavenly bread of 
the holy Communion preserves the life of the soul ; 



Aspirations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 265 



" He that eateth Me, the same shall live by Me. He 
thateateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood abideth 
in Me, and I in him." Such are the gracious prom- 
ises which Jesus makes to him who receives Him in 
the Blessed Sacrament. 

Ah, my Jesus ! who is weaker and more unfaithful 
than I ? Thou knowest well how many times I have 
yielded to my enemies, and how many times they 
have seized the gate, that is, my will, by which they 
have entered to ruin me by causing me to lose Thy 
friendship. Oh, fortify me with Thy light and 
strength, that I may no more lose Thee, or drive 
Thee from me ! My Lord and my dear Redeemer, 
if I am to turn back and offend Thee again, oh, let 
me die now, while I hope that I am in Thy grace 
and united to Thee ! I trust not myself, no ; nor 
will I ever, my dear Jesus, live without Thee. But 
as long as I live, I am in danger of changing my will 
and betraying Thee, as I have done before: do Thou 
help me. Help me also, most holy Mary ; have pity 
on me : thou who art the Mother of perseverance, 
obtain* for me this gift from thy Jesus, Of thee I 
seek it, of thee I hope it, of thee I ask it. 



VII. 

grp}] found Him Whom my soul loveth : I held 
19 H Him, and I will not let Him go" (Cant. iii. 4). 

So ought every soul to say who is united 
with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament: Creatures, de- 
part from me ; go out altogether from my heart. I 
loved you once, because I was blind ; now I love you 
not, nor can I ever love you again. I have found 
another good, infinitely more delightful than you ; I 
have found in myself my Jesus, Who has enamoured 
me by His beauty ; to this love I have given myself 
entirely. He has already accepted me, so that I am 
no longer my own. Creatures, farewell : I am not, 



266 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



nor shall I ever again be, yours ; but I am and shall 
be always Christ's. He, too, is mine, and will always 
be mine : " I held Him, and I will not let Him go." 
Now I have pressed Him to my heart, receiving Him 
in the holy Communion ; for the future I will hold 
Him with my love, and will not let Him leave me 
any more. 

Permit me, sweet Saviour, to embrace Thee so 
closely that I may never more be separated from 
Thee. Behold, I press Thee to myself, my Jesus ; I 
love Thee, I love Thee ; and, oh, that I could love 
Thee worthily! I wish that my only happiness and 
repose should be to love Thee and please Thee. Do 
Thou command all creatures to leave me, and not to 
disturb me ; say to them : " I adjure you, do not 
arouse or waken My love." Ah, if I do not wish it, 
creatures cannot enter in to disturb and divide me 
from Thee. Strengthen, then, my will, unite my 
miserable heart to Thy divine Heart, that it may 
always will what Thou wilt. Do this, Lord, by Thy 
merits. Amen, amen. So do I hope ; so may it be. 



VIII. 

|rise,0 north wind, and come,0 south wind, blow 
through my garden, and let the aromatical 
spices thereof flow" (Cant. iv. 16). Fly from 
me, O north wind ! hurtful and cold wind of earthly 
affections ; and come, thou soft, warm breeze of the 
sacred love of the Holy Spirit, which comes from the 
Heart of my Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Do 
thou alone breathe through my soul, which has been 
chosen by Jesus for His garden of delights. Blow; 
for by thy breath how many fresh and sweet odors 
of holy virtues shalt thou draw forth from me ! My 
Jesus, my Jesus, Thou canst do this ; and this do I 
hope from Thee. 



Aspirations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 267 



IX. 

IAVE gathered my myrrh, with my aromatical 
spices" (Cant. v. 1). A soul which has re- 
ceived Jesus must be careful to gather myrrh, 
that it may always offer the sweet odor of those 
virtues which arise from mortification. 44 1 have 
eaten honeycomb with my honey" (ib.). In like 
manner, the soul that loves God alone is not satisfied 
with the honey, but will also have the honeycomb ; 
therefore she says to Jesus : " O Lord. Thy consola- 
tions are not sufficient for me, unless Thou givest 
me Thyself, Who art the fountain of consolation ; 
the fruits of love are not enough for me, if Thou dost 
not give me also Thyself, Who art the object of my 
love. Truly Thou alone wilt suffice for me ; I am 
ready to renounce all Thy delights, provided I possess 
Thee alone, my God, and my only Good. I love 
Thee, not to please myself, but to please Thee ; for 
Thou dost desire to be loved by me, and Thou art 
worthy of all our love, whether Thou dost console 
or trv us. 



E hath set me in a place of pasture, and I 
shall want nothing" (Ps. xxli. 1, 2). Ah, my 
beloved Jesus ! since Thou dost invite me in 
this feast of love to feed on Thy divine Flesh, what 
more can I ever want ? 44 The Lord is my light and 
my salvation, whom shall I fear?" (Ps. xxvi. 1.) 
Whom shall I fear, if Thou, O God omnipotent, art 
my light and my salvation ? I give myself all to 
Thee. Accept me, and then do with me what Thou 
wilt; chastise me, show Thine indignation towards 
me when Thou wilt ; kill me, destroy me, and I will 
say always, with Job : 44 Although He should kill me, 
I will trust in Him" (Job xiii. 15). Whilst I am 



268 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



Thine, and Thou lovest me, I am content to be 
treated by Thee with every hardship; to be even 
annihilated, if it so pleases Thee. 

XI. 

IOF831 HAVE g r ^ven thee in My hands, thy walls are 
19 Pi always before My eyes" (Is. xlix. 16). See 
l aSss! the loving care that God takes of a soul that 
He wishes to have to Himself. He carries it written 
in His hands, so that He may never forget it, and 
says that sooner would a mother forget her own son 
than He a soul in grace : "And if she should forget, 
yet will I not forget thee" (ib. v. 15). "And thy 
walls are always before My eyes." His eyes are 
always open, to watch over that soul, so that its 
enemies do it not harm: "Thou hast crowned us, 
as with a shield of Thy good-will" (Ps. v. 13). Our 
good God surrounds us with the protection of His 
good-will, wholly solicitous for our good ; and so He 
delivers us from all dangers. Ah, my God ! Infinite 
Goodness, Who more than any other lovest me and 
desirest my good, I abandon myself entirely to Thee. 
Should every other hope fail me, Thou wilt never 
fail me. I know that I also must co-operate by 
obeying Thy holy will. " Lord, what wilt Thou 
have me to do ? " Nothing else can I say ; behold 
me ready and determined, my sweet Saviour, to do 
what Thou pleasest : " Thy will be done." Nothing 
else do I desire but to accomplish Thy will. But do 
Thou help me, otherwise I shall do no good at all. 
Teach me not only to know, but also to do, all that 
pleases Thee : " Teach me to do Thy will." Eternal 
Father, grant that I may be able to say with truth, 
as Thy Jesus did whilst He was on earth : " I always 
do the things that are pleasing to Him." My God ! 
this I desire, this I pray for, and this I hope, through 
the merits of Thy Son and the most holy Mary. 



Aspirations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. 269 



XII. 



Y son, give Me thy heart " (Prov. xiii. 26). O 



my soul, behold this is all that thy Lord asks 



BSi of thee ; when He comes to visit thee, He 
would have thy heart and thy will. He gives Himself 
to thee without reserve ; it is but reasonable that 
thou shouldst also give Him all thyself without re- 
serve, taking care to follow His will in all things; 
" For the Lord will return, to rejoice over thee in all 
good things" (Deut. xxx. 9). Act in such a manner 
as that Jesus, when He comes to thee again, may 
find that thou hast executed all His designs. My 
Jesus ! I wish to please Thee ; help Thou my desire. 
Give me strength, and do with me whatsoever Thou 
pleasest. 



IPCTHIHAT is there that I ought to do to my vine- 
AVH yard, that I have not done to it ?" (Is. v. 4). 
BMI My soul, hear what thy God says to thee : 
what ought I to do more for thee than I have done ? 
For love of thee I became man : " I am the Word 
made flesh." Instead of Lord, I have become serv- 
ant : "taking the form of a servant." I went so far 
as to be born in a stable, like a worm — for worms 
are born in stables : " I am a worm, and no man." 
I died for thee, I died upon the tree of shame : " I 
was made obedient to death, even the death of the 
cross." What remained more for Me to do, but to 
give My life for thee ? " Greater love than this no 
man hath, that he should lay down his life for his 
friends." But My love has invented and done more 
for thee. After My death, I have chosen to leave 
Myself in the Most Blessed Sacrament, to give My 
whole self as food. Tell Me what more could I have 
done to gain thy love ? 




XIII. 



270 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 

It is true, my Lord and my Redeemer ; what can I 
answer ? I have nothing to say. Thou hast been too 
good to me, and I have been too ungrateful towards 
Thee. I wonder at Thy immense goodness ; I see 
my own baseness, and I throw myself at Thy feet, 
and say: Have pity on me, my Jesus, though I have 
repaid Thy love with so much ingratitude. Avenge 
Thyself, therefore, I pray Thee, avenge Thyself 
upon me, and chastise me ; but do not abandon me ; 
chastise me and change me. Let me not live any 
longer ungrateful to Thee. Grant that I may love 
Thee at least out of gratitude, and that before I die 
I may make Thee some recompense for Thy love. 

XIV. 

UT Me as a seal upon thy heart " (Cant. viii. 
6). Yes, my beloved Jesus, since I have con- 
secrated to Thee all my heart, it is but just 
that I should put Thee as a seal of love upon it, to 
close the entrance against any other affection ; and 
thus to make known to all that my heart is Thine, 
and that Thou alone possessest dominion over it. 
But, my Lord, what dost Thou hope from me, if 
Thou dost not do the work Thyself? I can do 
nothing but give Thee my poor heart, that Thou 
mayest dispose of me according to Thy pleasure. 
Behold, I give it all to Thee, I consecrate it to Thee, 
I sacrifice it to Thee. Do Thou possess it forever ; 
I will no longer have any part in it. If Thou lovest 
it, mayest Thou be able to preserve it for Thyself. 
Leave it no longer in my hands, lest I should again 
take it from Thee. O God most gracious, O Infinite 
Love, since Thou hast so constrained me to love 
Thee, I pray Thee, make Thyself loved, make Thy- 
self loved by me. I only wish to live that I may 
love Thee, I only wish to love Thee in order to 
please Thee. Thou Who dost work miracles to 




Sig/is of Love towards God. 



271 



be able to enter into my heart in this sacrament, 
work also this one, make my heart all Thine ; but 
all, all, all, without division, without reserve, so that 
I may say, both in this life and in eternity, that 
Thou art 'the only Lord of my heart, and my only 
treasure : " God is the God of my heart, and my 
portion forever." 

Most holy Mary, my Mother and my hope, do thou 
help me and I shall certainly he heard. Amen, 
amen. This I wish, this 1 hope. So be it. 



SIGHS OF LOVE TOWARDS GOD. 

For Holy Communion* Meditation, and Visits to the 
Blessed Sacrament. 

1. Lord, who am I. that Thou hast loved rne so 
much, and that Thou shouldst so much desire to be 
loved by me? 

2. O my God, worthy of infinite love, I love Thee, 
or rather I should say, I love Thee not. 

3. I love Thee above all things ; more than my 
life, more than myself; but still I see that I love 
Thee too little. 

4. O King of heaven, make Thyself also King of 
my heart, possess me entirely. 

5. I leave all and turn to Thee. I embrace Thee, 
I press Thee to my soul ; despise me not, Immeasur- 
able Good ; I love Thee. 

6. Xow that Thou hast united me to Thee, O my 
Jesus, how can I see myself separated from Thee ? 
I love Thee, and will never cease to love Thee.. 

7. Unite Thyself to me, Lord ; let not the corrup- 
tion of my sins drive Thee away from me. 

8. O God, O God, whom shall I love if I love not 
Thee, my Life, my Love, my All ? 



272 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



9. " Chosen amongst thousands." My God, Thou 
only, Thou alone do I choose for my love. 

10. My Redeemer, I desire no other but Thee. 

11. Oh, that I might be wholly consumed for 
Thee, Who wast entirely consumed for me ! 

12. Take possession, Lord, of my whole will, and 
do with me what Thou pleasest. 

13. O God not known ! O God not loved! he is 
a fool that loves Thee not. 

14. O my God, when I sinned 1 well knew that I 
was greatly displeasing Thee : have I done so? could 
I do so ? 

15. If I had died then, I should no longer have 
been able to love Thee. Now that I can, I will love 
Thee. 

16. Lord, after having given me so many graces, 
permit me not to betray Thee again. Let me sooner 
die. 

17. Thou hast borne with me, that I might love 
Thee. Yes, I will love Thee. 

18. My God, Thou hast conquered me; I will 
withstand Thee no longer, I surrender myself to 
Thee. 

19. O God, how many years have I not lost when 
I might have been loving Thee ! 

20. I consecrate to Thee, my God, the remainder 
of my life ; and who can tell how long it may be? 

21. What are riches ? what are honors ? what are 
pleasures ? God, God, I desire God alone. 

22. O King of hearts, reign in my heart. Ah, 
draw me all to Thee ! 

23. Bind me, O God, to Thee, in such a way that 
I shall never be able to loose myself from Thee. 

24. Thou wilt not leave me, I will not leave Thee. 
Then we shall always love each other, O my God, O 
my God. 

25. Ah, make me all Thine before I die, my Jesus, 
my Love, my Life, my Treasure, my All. 



Sig/is of Love towards God. 



273 



26. Ah, my Jesus, the first time I see Thee, may it 
be with a propitious countenance ! 

27. When shall I be able to say : " My God, my 
God, I cannot lose Thee any more ?" 

28. When, Lord, shall I see Thee as Thou art, and 
love Thee face to face for all eternity with my whole 
strength ? 

29. Ah, my Infinite Good, as long as I live, then, 
do I stand in danger of losing Thee. 

30. My Jesus, what hast Thou not done to oblige 
me to love Thee ? Yes, I will love Thee. I love 
Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee. 

31. O Eternal Father, for the love of Jesus give 
me Thy love. 

32. Permit one of the most ungrateful creatures 
that have ever lived on the earth to love Thee. 

33. My God, I will love Thee exceedingly in this 
life, that I may love Thee exceedingly in the next. 

34. O my Jesus, Thou hast given Thyself all to 
me ; I will give myself all to Thee. 

35. What greater pleasure can I have than to 
please Thee, my God ? 

36. My beloved Jesus, I desire to love Thee as 
much as I have offended Thee. 

37. I love Thee, Infinite Goodness; make me 
know the great good that I love. 

38. My Jesus, Thou art the vine, I am one of Thy 
branches; keep me always united to Thee, never let 
me detach myself from Thee. 

39. O my God, how much do I rejoice in that 
Thou art infinitely happy! 

40. Ah, Lord, where art Thou ? Art Thou with 
me or not? Am I in Thy grace or not? Thou 
knowest that I love Thee, I love Thee ; I love Thee 
more than myself. 

41. Give me, my Jesus, that love which Thou re- 
quirest of me. 

42. Oh, that I had always loved Thee ! 



274 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



43. Oh, if I did but love Thee, my God, if I did 
but love Thee ! I love Thee ; but I love Thee too 
little. 

44. Help me, Lord, to love Thee much, and to 
overcome all things to please Thee. 

45. I give Thee my will. I desire nothing but that 
which Thou desirest. 

46. I seek not consolations from Thee ; I desire 
only to please Thee, my God, my Love, my All. 

47. O Infinite God, I am not worthy to love Thee ; 
suffer me to love Thee. 

48. I hope to love Thee forever, O Eternal God ! 

49. O my dear Jesus, Thou hast suffered so much 
for me ; I desire to suffer for Thee as much as it 
shall please Thee. 

50. O God of my soul, I can trust myself no longer 
to live without loving Thee. 

51. O will of God, thou art all my love. 

52. O omnipotent God, make me a saint. 

53. It will be for Thy glory, Lord, to make one 
who was Thine enemy become Thy loving servant. 

f 54. Thou didst seek me, my God, while I was yet 
flying from Thee ; Thou wilt not discard me now 
that I seek Thee. 

55. My most loving Jesus, in order to pardon me 
Thou hast not pardoned Thyself. 

56. I thank Thee for giving me time to love Thee. 
Yes, my God, I love Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee, 
and I will always love Thee. 

57. O God worthy of infinite love, may I this day 
be entirely converted to Thee, my Love, my All ! 

58. Chastise me as Thou wilt ; but deprive me not 
of the power of loving Thee. 

59. Divine Father, Thou hast given me Thy Son ; 
I, a miserable creature, give myself to Thee. Accept 
me, for pity's sake. 

60. I desire, Lord, to make up for the offences I 



Sighs of Love towards God. 



275 



have committed against Thee by doing all I can to 
please Thee. 

61. I desire to love Thee, my God, without in- 
terest, without ceasing, and without reserve. 

62. My Jesiis, despised for me, may I be despised 
for Thee ! 

63. My tormented Jesus, grant that I may suffer 
for the love of Thee all the pains of this life. 

64. I should wish, my Redeemer, to die for Thee, 
Who didst die for me. 

65. I resolve this day to give myself all to Thee. 

66. Oh, that all would love Thee as Thou de- 
serves t ! 

67. Grant, Lord, that I ma}' leave undone nothing 
which I know to be pleasing to Thee. 

68. Happy shall I be if I lose all to gain Thee, my 
God, my All. 

69. O Jesus, sacrificed for me, I sacrifice to Thee 
my whole will ! 

70. O my God, when shall I be all Thine ? 

71. Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? 

72. I will sing forever the mercies of the Lord. 

73. Who shall separate me from the love of 
Christ ? 

74. O good Jesus, never permit me to be separated 
from Thee, never permit me to be separated from 
Thee ! 

75. What have I in heaven ? and, besides Thee, 
what do I desire upon earth ? Thou art the God of 
my heart, and the God that is my portion forever. 

76. " May I die for the love of Thy love, Who 
didst deign to die for the love of my love !" (St. 
Francis Assisi.) 

77. M My love is crucified " (St. Pasch). 

78. " Give me but Thy love and Thy grace, and I 
am rich enough " (St. Ignatius Loyola). 

79. " Let me die, Lord, that I may see Thee" (St, 
Augustine). 



276 Pious Exercises for Every Week. 



80. Ah, my Jesus, they who love Thee not do not 
know Thee ! 

81. I love Thy pleasure, Lord, more than all the 
pleasures of the world. 

82. My crucified Jesus, how is it that all are not 
captivated by Thee ? 

83. Thou hast died for me ; oh, that I could die 
for Thee, my Jesus, my Love, my Treasure, my All ! 

84. Lord, what shall I render to Thee for all Thou 
hast suffered for me ? 

85. Infinite Goodness, I esteem Thee above all 
things ; I love Thee with all my heart ; I give myself 
entirely to Thee. Accept my poor love, and give 
me more love. 

86. May I forget all, that I may remember only 
Thee, my Love, my All ! 

87. I would wish to love Thee worthily. Accept, 
O God, this my desire, and give me Thy love ! 

88. I have offended Thee enough ; now I desire to 
love Thee. 

89. O God ! O God ! I am Thine, and Thou art 
mine. 

90. May all be lost ; but let not God be lost ! 

91. Let it cost what it will to gain God, He can 
never be dearly bought. 

92. Thou alone, my Jesus, Thou alone art suffi- 
cient for me. 

93. O Mary, look on me, and draw me all to God. 

94. Most amiable Mother, I love thee exceedingly. 

95. O Mother ! give me confidence in thee, and 
make me always to have recourse to thee. 

96. O Mary, it is for thee to save me. Thou canst 
make me holy: this is my hope. Have pity on me. 



THIRD PART. 

EXERCISES FOR EACH MONTH. 

11. Wisits to tbe Blesseb Sacrament 
anb tbe Blessefc Dirgin for 
]Eacb 2>a£ of tbe HDontb* 

MANNER OF MAKING THE VISITS. 



Eo tfje Elessefc Sacrament. 1 

Iord Jesus Christ, Who, through the love 



which Thou bearest to men, dost remain 



BBS! with them day and night in this sacrament, 
full of mercy and love, expecting, inviting, and receiv- 
ing all who come to visit Thee, I believe that Thou 
art present in the Sacrament of the Altar. From the 
abyss of my own nothingness I adore Thee, and I 
thank Thee for all the favors which Thou hast be- 
stowed upon me, particularly for having given me 
Thyself in this sacrament, for having given me for my 
advocate Thy most holy Mother Mary, and for having 
called me to visit Thee in this church. I this day 



1 An indulgence of 300 days each time that this prayer shall be de- 
voutly recited before the Blessed Sacrament. A plenary indulgence 
once a month on the usual conditions for those who shall have recited 
it daily for a month. (Sept. 7, 1854.) 




277 



Exercises for Each Month. 



salute Thy most loving Heart, and I wish to salute it 
for three ends : first, in thanksgiving for this great 
gift ; secondly, in compensation for all the injuries 
Thou hast received from Thy enemies in this sacra- 
ment ; thirdly, I wish by this visit to adore Thee in 
all places in which Thou art least honored and most 
abandoned in the Holy Sacrament. My Jesus, I 
love Thee with my whole heart. I am sorry for 
having hitherto offended Thy infinite goodness. I 
purpose, with the assistance of Thy grace, never 
more to offend Thee ; and at this moment, miserable 
as I am, I consecrate my whole being to Thee; I 
give Thee my entire will, all my affections and de- 
sires, and all that I have. From this day forward do 
what Thou wilt with me, and with whatever belongs 
to me. I ask and desire only Thy holy love, the 
gift of final perseverance, and the perfect accomplish- 
ment of Thy will. I recommend to Thee the souls 
in purgatory, particularly those who were most de- 
voted to the Blessed Sacrament and to the most 
holy Mary; and I also recommend to Thee all poor 
sinners. Finally, my dear Saviour, I unite all my 
affections with the affections of Thy most loving 
Heart, and, thus united, offer them to Thy eternal 
Father, and I entreat Him in Thy name and for Thy 
sake to accept them. 

Read the visit for the day of the month, and then make the 



.Spiritual (Sommunion. 

j|Y Jesus, I love Thee with my whole heart, and 
I wish to live always united to Thee. As I 
cannot now receive Thee sacramentally, I 
receive Thee in spirit. Come, then, into my soul ; 
I embrace Thee, and I unite my entire self to Thee ; 
and I beseech Thee never more to allow me to be 
separated from Thee. 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 279 



Shorter &ct for a -Spiritual Communion, 

believe that Thou, O Jesus, art in the Most 
Holy Sacrament ! I love Thee and desire 
Thee ! Come into my heart. I embrace 
Thee ; oh, never leave me ! 

Ejaculations, 

av the burning and most sweet power of Thy 
love, O Lord Jesus Christ, I beseech Thee, 
absorb my mind, that I may die through 



love of Thy love, Who wast graciously pleased to 
die through love of my love." — St. Francis of Assisi. 

" O Love Who art not loved ! O Love Who art 
not known !" — St. Mary Magdalen de Pazsi. 

" O my Spouse, when wilt Thou ravish me in 
Thyself? " — St. Peter of Alcantara. 

Hail to the love of Jesus, our life and our All ! 
Hail to Mary, our hope ! Amen. 

After Spiritual Communion make a visit to the Blessed Mother 
of God, before some representation of her. 

l T isit to tfje 33Irssctr YIvqux. 

Read first the visit of the day, and terminate with the following 
prayer to the Blessed Virgin. 1 



OST holy and immaculate Virgin ! O my 
Mother ! thou who art the Mother of my 
Lord, the queen of the world, the advocate, 
hope, and refuge of sinners ! I, the most wretched 
among them, now come to thee. I worship Thee, 
great Queen, and give thee thanks for the many 
favors thou hast bestowed upon me in the past ; 
most of all do I thank thee for having saved me 
from hell, which I had so often deserved. I love 

1 An indulgence of 300 days each time that this prayer shall be 
devoutly recited before a representation of the Blessed Virgin Mary^ 
A plenary indulgence once a month on the usual conditions. (Sept. 7, 
1854.) 



28o 



Exercises for Each Month, 



thee, Lady most worthy of all love, and by the love 
which I bear thee I promise ever in the future to 
serve thee, and to do what in me lies to win others 
to thy love. In thee I put all my trust, all my hope 
of salvation. Receive me as thy servant, and cover 
me with the mantle of thy protection, thou who art 
the Mother of mercy ! And since thou hast so much 
power with God, deliver me from all temptations, or 
at least obtain for me the grace ever to overcome 
them. From thee I ask a true love of Jesus Christ, 
and the grace of a happy death. O my Mother ! 
by thy love for God I beseech thee to be at all times 
my helper, but above all at the last moment of my 
life. Leave me not until you see me safe in heaven, 
there for endless ages to bless thee and sing thy 
praises. Amen. 
The visit to St. Joseph, p. 341, may here be made. 

g\x%x Utstt to tfie ISlesseir Sacrament* 

Prayer before each visit, p. 277. 

ehold the source of every good, Jesus in the 
Most Holy Sacrament, Who says, " If any 
man thirst, let him come to Me" (John vii. 
37). Oh, what torrents of grace have the saints 
drawn from the fountain of the Most Blessed Sacra- , 
ment ! For there Jesus dispenses all the merits of 
His Passion, as it was foretold by the prophet: "You 
shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour's foun- 
tains" (Is. xii. 3). The Countess of Feria, that illus- 
trious disciple of the venerable Father John d'Avila, 
afterwards a poor Clare, and surnamed the Spouse 
of the Most Blessed Sacrament from her long and 
frequent visits to it, on being asked how she em- 
ployed the many hours thus passed in the presence 
of the Holy of holies, replied : " I could remain 
there for all eternity. And is not the very essence 
of God, which will be the food of the blessed, there 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



present? Good God! am I asked what I do in His 
presence ? Rather, what is not done there ? We 
love, we ask, we praise, we give thanks. We ask. 
What does the poor man do in the presence of one 
who is rich ? What does a sick man do in the pres- 
ence of his physician ? What does a man do who is 
parched with thirst in the presence of a limpid foun- 
tain ? What is the occupation of one who is starv- 
ing, and is placed before a well-charged table ?" 

O my most amiable, most sweet, most beloved 
Jesus, my Life, my Hope, my Treasure, the only 
Love of my soul ; oh, what has it cost Thee to re- 
main thus in the midst of us in this sacrament ! 
Thou hadst to die, that Thou mightest thus dwell 
amongst us on our altars ; and then, how many in- 
sults hast Thou not had to endure in this sacrament, 
in order to aid us by Thy presence ! Thy love, and 
the desire which Thou hast to be loved by us, have 
conquered all. 

Come, then, O Lord, come and centre Thyself 
within my heart; close its doors forever, that hence- 
forward no creature may enter there, to divide the 
love which is due to Thee, and which it is my ardent 
desire to bestow all on Thee. Do Thou alone, my 
dear Redeemer, rule me ; do Thou alone in full pos- 
sess me ; and if betimes I do not obey Thee per- 
fectly, chastise me with rigor, that thenceforward I 
may be more watchful to please Thee as Thou wiliest. 
Grant th^t I may no longer seek for any other pleas- 
ure than that of giving Thee pleasure ; that all my 
pleasure may be to visit Thee often on Thine altars ; 
to entertain myself with Thee ; and to receive Thee 
in the holy Communion. Let all who will, seek 
other treasures ; the only treasure which I love, the 
only one which I desire, is that of Thy love ; for this 
alone will I ask at the foot of the altar. Do Thou 
make me forget myself, that thus I may alone re- 
member Thy goodness. Blessed Seraphim, I envy 



282 



Exercises for Each Month. 



you, not for your glory, but for the love which you 
bear to your and my God ; oh, do you teach me what 
I must do to love Him, and to give Him the greatest 
pleasure ! 

Ejaculatory Prayer : My Jesus, I love Thee alone ! 
I will please Thee alone. 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 



Visit to the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

N our Mother Mary we have another fountain, 
which is indeed fruitful to us. She is so 
rich in good things and in graces, says St. 
Bernard, that there is no one in the world who does 
not participate in them : " Of her fulness we have 
all received." The Most Blessed Virgin Mary was 
filled by God with grace, and as such was saluted by 
the angel : " Hail, full of grace ;" not for herself 
alone, but also for us. St. Peter Chrysologus adds 
that she received that great abyss of grace that she 
might then impart it to all who are devout to her . 
" The Blessed Virgin receiver! this grace that she 
might give in return salvation to all." 
Ejaculatory Prayer : Cause of our joy, pray for as 

Prayer, Most Holy, p. 279. 




Secotttr Utsit to tfje 3Sltsseir Sacrament, 

he devout Father Nieremberg says that bread, 
being a food which is consumed by eating, 

■ and which keeps when preserved for use, 

Jesus was pleased to dwell on earth under its species, 
that He might thus not only be consumed by uniting 
Himself to the souls of His lovers by the means of 
the holy Communion, but also that He might be 
preserved in the tabernacle, and be present with us, 
and thus remind us of the love which He bears us. 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 283 

St. Paul says : " He emptied Himself, taking the 
form of a servant" (Phil. ii. 7). But what must we 
say when we see Him "taking the form of bread "? 
"No tongue would suffice, "says St. Peter of Alcantara, 
"to proclaim the greatness of the love which Jesus 
bears to every soul which is in a state of grace ; and, 
therefore, in order that His absence might not be to 
them an occasion of forgetting Him, this most sweet 
Spouse, when He was pleased to quit this life, left 
as a memorial this Most Blessed Sacrament, in which 
He Himself remained; He willed not that between 
these souls and Himself any other pledge but Him- 
self should remain, whereby to keep alive their re- 
membrance of Him." 

Since, then, my Jesus, Thou art enclosed in this 
tabernacle to receive the supplications of miserable 
creatures who come to seek an audience of Thee, 
listen this day to the petition addressed to Thee by 
the most ungrateful sinner living on earth. 

I come repentant to Thy feet ; for I now know the 
evil which I have committed in giving Thee dis- 
pleasure. My first prayer and desire, then, is that 
Thou wilt be pleased to pardon me all the sins 
which I have committed against Thee. Ah, my 
God, would that I had never offended Thee ! After 
this I must tell Thee my next desire. Now that I 
have found out Thy sovereign goodness, I have be- 
come enamoured of Thee; I feel an ardent desire to 
love Thee and to please Thee ; but I have not the 
strength to do this unless Thou helpest me. Mani- 
fest, O great Lord, Thy supreme power and Thy 
immense goodness to the whole court of heaven ; 
change me from a great rebel, such as I have hitherto 
been to Thee, into a great lover of Thee. Thou 
canst do it, and I know that such is Thy will ; supply 
all that is wanting in me, that thus I may be enabled 
to love Thee much, — at least that I may love Thee as 
much as I have offended Thee. I love Thee, my 



284 



Exercises for Each Month. 



Jesus ; I love Thee above all things ; I love Thee 
more than my life, my God, my Love, my All! 
Ejac. My God and my All ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

" Let us go with confidence to the throne of grace : that we may 
obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid." — Heb. iv. 16. 

j|T. Antonius says that Mary is this throne, 
from which God dispenses all graces. O 
most amiable Queen, since thou hast so 
great a desire to help sinners, behold a great sinner 
who has recourse to thee ; help me much, and help 
me without delay. 

Ejac. Sole refuge of sinners, have mercy on me ! 
St. Aug* 

Then follows the usual prayer, p. 279. 

£f)tr& iTtstt to tge Messefc 5Sacramettt, 

" And my delights were to be with the children of men." — Prov. 
viii. 31. 



ehold our Jesus, Who, not satisfied with 
dying on earth for our love, is pleased even 
after His death to dwell with us in the Most 
Holy Sacrament, declaring that He finds His de- 
lights among men. " O men," exclaims St. Teresa, 
" how can you offend a God Who declares that it is 
with you that He finds His delights !" Jesus finds 
His delights with us ; and shall we not find ours 
with Jesus ? And we especially who have had the 
honor to dwell in His palace? How greatly do 
those vassals esteem themselves honored to whom 
the king assigns an abode in his own residence ! Be- 
hold the palace of the King ; it is this house in which 
we dwell with Jesus Christ. Let us, then, learn to 
thank Him for it, and to avail ourselves of convers- 
ing with Jesus Christ. 



Visits to ik& Blessed Sacrament. 



285 



Behold me. then, O my Lord and God, before this 
altar, on which Thou residest night and day for my 
sake. Thou art the Source of every good ; Thou 
art the Healer of every ill ; Thou art the Treasure of 
every, poor creature. Behold now at Thy feet a 
sinner, who is of all others the poorest and most in- 
firm, and who asks Thy mercy ; have pity upon me ! 
Now that I see Thee in this sacrament, come down 
from heaven upon earth only to do me good, I will 
not be disheartened at the sight of my misery. I 
praise Thee. I thank Thee, I love Thee ; and if Thou 
wiliest that I should ask Thee for an alms, I will ask 
for this. Oh, listen to me ! I desire never more to 
offend Thee ; and I desire that Thou shouldst give 
me light and grace to love Thee with all my strength. 
Lord. I love Thee with my whole soul ; I love Thee 
with ail my affections. Do Thou grant that I may 
thus speak with truth ; and that I may speak in the 
same way during life and for all eternity. Most 
holy Virgin Mary, my holy patron saints, ye angels, 
and all ye blessed spirits of paradise, help me to love 
my most amiable God. 

Ejac. O Good Shepherd, true Bread, Jesus, have 
mercy on us : do Thou feed us ; do Thou guard us ; 
do Thou show us good things in the land of the 
living ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

M Her bands are a healthful binding."— Ecclus. vi. 31. 

Ihe devout Pelbart says that devotion to Mary 
is a chain of predestination. Let us beseech 
oar sovereign Lady to bind us always more 
closely by the chains of love to confidence in her 
protection. 

Ejac. O clement, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



286 



Exercises for Eaeh Month. 



jFottrtJ) IHstt to tfje ISlessetr Sacrament* 

" Her conversation hath no bitterness, nor her company any tedi- 
ousness." — Wisd. viii. 16. 

riends on earth find such pleasure in being 
together, that they lose entire days in each 
other's company : with Jesus in the Most Holy 
Sacrament, those who love Him do not get weary. 
After her death, St. Teresa, who was already in 
heaven, said to a nun : " Those who are in heaven and 
those who are on earth should be one and the same in 
purity and in love ; we enjoying, and you suffering ; 
and that which we do in heaven with the Divine Es- 
sence, you should do on earth with the Most Blessed 
Sacrament." Behold, then, our paradise on earth — 
the Most Blessed Sacrament. O immaculate Lamb, 
sacrificed for us upon the cross, remember that I am 
one of those souls which Thou hast redeemed by so 
many sufferings and by Thy death. Grant that Thou 
mayest be mine, and that I may never lose Thee, 
since Thou hast given Thyself to me, and givest 
Thyself every day, sacrificing Thyself for my love 
on the altar; and grant that I may be all Thine. I 
give myself to Thee without reserve, that Thou 
mayest dispose of me as Thou pleasest. I give Thee 
my will ; chain it with the sweet bonds of Thy love, 
that it may forever be the slave of Thy most holy 
will. I wish no longer to live for the satisfaction of 
my desires, but only to please Thy goodness. De- 
stroy in me all that does not please Thee ; grant me 
the grace never to have any other thought than to 
please Thee ; any other desire than that which 
Thou desirest. I love Thee, O my dear Saviour, 
with my whole heart ; I love Thee because Thou de- 
sirest that I should love Thee ; I love Thee because 
Thou indeed art worthy of my love. I grieve that I 
love Thee not as much as Thou deservest. I desire, 
Lord, to die for Thy love ; accept my desire, and 
give me Thy love. Amen. 




Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, 287 



EJac. O good pleasure of my God, I sacrifice my- 
self all to Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 
Visit to Mary. 

|ary says : " I am the Mother of fair love" 
(Ecclus. xxiv. 24) ; that is to say, she is the 
Mother of that love which beautifies souls. 
St. Mary Magdalen de Pazzi saw the Most Blessed 
Virgin Mary going about dispensing a sweet liquid, 
which was divine love. This gift is dispensed only 
by Mary; from Mary let us seek it. 

Ejac. My Mother, my hope, make me belong 
wholly to Jesus. 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

jFtttf) Utstt to tfie Blessetr Sacrament* 

"The sparrow hath found herself a house, and the turtle a nest 
for herself, where she may lay her young - ones: Thy altars, O Lord 
of hosts, my King and my GodJ'— Ps. lxxxiii. 4. 

j]HE sparrow, says David, finds a dwelling in 
houses ; turtle-doves in nests ; but Thou, my 
King and my God, hast made Thyself a nest 
and found a dwelling on earth on our altars, that we 
might find Thee, and that Thou mightest dwell 
amongst us. Lord, we cannot but say that Thou 
art too much enamoured of men ; Thou no longer 
knowest what to do to gain their love. But do 
Thou, my most amiable Jesus, give us the grace that 
we also may be passionately enamoured of Thee. It 
would indeed be unreasonable were we cold in our 
love toward a God Who loves us with such affection. 
Draw us to Thee by the sweet attractions of Thy 
love ; make us understand the endearing claims 
which Thou hast on our love. 

O Infinite Majesty and Infinite Goodness, Thou 
lovest men so much, Thou hast done so much that 
Thou mightest be loved by men : how is it, then, 



288 Exercises for Each Month. 



that amongst men there are so few who love Thee ? 
I will no longer be as I have hitherto been, of the 
unhappy number of those ungrateful creatures ; I am 
resolved to love Thee as much as I can, and to love 
no other than Thee : Thou deservest it ; Thou com- 
mandest me with so much earnestness to do so, I 
am resolved to satisfy Thee. Grant, O God of my 
soul, that I may fully satisfy Thee. I entreat Thee 
to grant me this favor by the merits of Thy Passion, 
and I confidently hope for it. Bestow the goods of 
the earth on those who desire them ; I desire and 
seek the great treasure of Thy love alone. I love 
Thee, my Jesus ; I love Thee, Infinite Goodness. 
Thou art all my riches, my whole satisfaction, my 
entire love. 

Ejac. My Jesus, Thou hast given Thy whole self 
to me ; I give my whole self to Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 



Visit to Mary. 

j|Y Lady, St. Bernard calls thee "the ravisher 
of hearts." ■ He says that thou goest about 
stealing hearts by the charms of thy beauty 
and goodness. Steal also my heart and will, I be- 
seech thee: I give them wholly to thee; offer 
them to God with thine own. 
Ejac. Mother most amiable, pray for me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



Strt{i l^tstt to tge Messetr Sacrament* 

" Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."— St. Luke 
xii. 34. 

tog|*jg|ESUS Christ says that where a person esteems 
rait treasure to be, there also he keeps his 

Bagg affections. Therefore the saints, who neither 
esteem nor love any other treasure than Jesus Christ, 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrame?it. 289 



centre their hearts and all their love in the Most 
Blessed Sacrament. My most amiable Jesus, hidden 
under the sacramental veils, Who for the love which 
Thou bearest me remainest night and day impris- 
oned in this tabernacle, draw, I beseech Thee, my 
whole heart to Thee, that I may think of none but 
Thee, that I may love and seek and hope for Thee 
alone. Do this by the merits of Thy Passion, 
through which I seek and hope for it. 

Ah, my Sacramental Lord and Divine Lover, how 
amiable and tender are the inventions of Thy love 
to gain the love of souls ! O Eternal Word, Thou, in 
becoming man, wast not satisfied with dying for us; 
Thou hast also given us this sacrament as a com- 
panion, as food, and as a pledge of heaven. Thou 
reducest Thyself so as to appear amongst us, at one 
time as an infant in a stable, at another as a poor 
man in a workshop, then as a criminal on a gibbet, 
and now as bread on an altar. Tell me, couldst 
Thou invent other means to win our love? O In- 
finite Goodness, when shall I really begin to corre- 
spond with such refinements of love ? Lord, I will 
only live to love Thee alone. And of what use is life to 
me, if I do not spend it wholly in loving and pleasing 
Thee, my beloved Redeemer, Who hast poured out 
Thy whole life for me ? And what have I to love, if it 
is not Thee, Who art all beauty, all condescension, all 
goodness, all loving, all worthy of love ? May my 
soul live only to love Thee ; may the sole remem- 
brance of Thy love dissolve my soul with love ; may 
the very names of Crib, and Cross, and Sacrament in- 
flame it with the desire to do great things for Thee, 
O my Jesus, Who hast indeed done and suffered 
great things for me ! 

Ejac. Grant, my Lord, that before I die, I may do 
something for Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 



290 



Exercises for Each Month, 



Visit to Mary. 

"As a fair olive-tree in the plain." — Ecclus. xxiv. 19. 

AM, says Mary, the beautiful olive-tree, from 
which the oil of mercy always flows. And I 
stand in the plain that all may see me, and 
that all may have recourse to me. " Remember" (let 
us say in the words of the prayer of St. Bernard), " O 
most compassionate Mary, that it has never been 
heard of in any age that any one having recourse to 
thy protection was abandoned by thee." Most mer- 
ciful Queen, such a thing was never heard of, that 
any one having recourse to thy aid was abandoned : 
I will not be the first unfortunate creature who, 
having recourse to thee, was abandoned. 

Ejac. O Mary, grant me the grace always to have 
recourse to thee ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

Sebentf) THstt to tfje 3Slesseir Sacrament, 

" Behold, I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the 
world." — St. Matt, xxviii. 20. 

jlHUS our loving Shepherd, Who has given His 
life for us who are His sheep, would not sep- 
arate Himself from us by death. Behold 
Me, He says, beloved sheep, I am always with you ; 
for you I have remained on earth in this sacrament ; 
here you find Me whenever you please, to help and 
console you by My presence : I will not leave you 
until the end of the world, as long as you are on 
earth. The Bridegroom, says St. Peter of Alcantara, 
wished to leave His Bride company, that she might 
not remain alone during so long an absence; and 
therefore He left this sacrament, in which He Him- 
self, the best companion He could leave her, re- 
mains. 

My sweetest Lord, my most amiable Saviour, I am 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 291 



now visiting Thee on this altar ; but Thou returnest 
me the visit with far other love when Thou enterest 
my soul in the holy Communion. Thou art then 
not only present to me, but Thou becomest my food ; 
Thou unitest and givest Thy whole self to me, so 
that I can then say with truth, My Jesus, Thou art 
now all mine. Since, then, Thou givest Thyself all to 
me, it is reasonable that I should give myself all to 
Thee. I am a worm, and Thou art God. O God of 
love ! O Love of my soul ! when shall I find myself 
all Thine, in deeds, and not only in words? Thou 
canst do it ; by the merits of Thy Blood increase my 
confidence, that I may at once obtain this grace of 
Thee, that I may find myself all Thine, and in 
nothing mine own. Thou graciously hearest, O 
Lord, the prayers of all ; hear now the prayers of a 
soul who indeed desires really to love Thee. I de- 
sire to love Thee with all my strength, I desire to 
obey Thee in all that Thou wiliest, without self- 
interest, without consolations, without reward. I 
wish to serve Thee" through love, only to please 
Thee, only to content Thy Heart, which is so pas- 
sionately enamoured of me. My reward will be to 
love Thee. O beloved Son of the Eternal Father, 
take possession of my liberty, of my will, of all I 
possess, and of my entire self, and give me Thyself. 
I love Thee, I seek after Thee, I sigh after Thee ; I 
desire Thee, I desire Thee, I desire Thee ! 
Ejac. My Jesus, make me all Thine own ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

^OUR own most amiable Lady, the whole 
Church proclaims and salutes thee as " our 

hope" ! Thou, then, who art the hope of all, 

be also my hope. St. Bernard called thee "the 
whole ground of his hope," and said ; " Let him who 



292 



Exercises for Each Month. 



despairs hope in thee." Thus also will I address 
thee ; my own Mary, thou savest even those who are 
in despair; in thee I place all my hope. 
Ejac. Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

25tSj)tf) ViuxX to tfje Messetr Sacrament* 

O every soul who visits Jesus in the Most Holy 
Sacrament, He addresses the words which He 

— ■ said to the Sacred Spouse " Arise, make 
haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come" 
(Caht. ii. 10). Thou soul which visitest Me, "arise" 
from thy miseries ; I am here to enrich thee with 
graces. " Make haste," approach, come near Me ; 
fear not My Majesty, which has humbled itself in 
this sacrament, in order to take away thy fear, and 
to give thee confidence. " My beloved," thou art no 
longer My enemy, but My friend ; since thou lovest 
Me, and I love thee. " My beautiful one," My grace 
has made thee fair. " And come," draw near and 
cast thyself into My arms, and ask Me with the 
greatest confidence for whatever thou wiliest. 

St. Teresa says that this great King of glory has 
disguised Himself in the sacrament under the spe- 
cies of bread, .and that He has concealed His Majes- 
ty, to encourage us to approach His Divine Heart 
with greater confidence. Let us, then, draw near to 
Jesus with great confidence and affection ; let us 
unite ourselves to Him, and let us ask Him for 
graces. O Eternal Word made man, and present 
for my sake in this sacrament, what joy should be 
mine now that I stand in Thy presence, Who art my 
God, Who art Infinite Majesty and Infinite Good- 
ness, and hast so tender an affection for my soul ! 
Ye souls who love God, wherever you may be, either 
in heaven or on earth, love Him for me also. Mary, 
my Mother, help me to Jove Him, And Thou, most 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 293 



beloved Lord, make Thyself the object of all my 
love. Make Thyself the Lord of my entire will ; 
possess my entire self. I consecrate my whole mind 
to Thee, that it may always be occupied with the 
thought of Thy goodness ; I also consecrate my 
body to Thee that it may help me to please Thee ; I 
consecrate my soul to Thee that it may be all Thine. 
Would, O beloved of my soul, that all men could 
know the tenderness of the love which Thou bearest 
them, that all might live only to honor Thee and to 
please Thee, as Thou desirestand deservest. Grant 
that at least I may always live enamoured of Thy in- 
finite beauty. From this day forward my desire is 
to do all that I can to be pleasing to Thee. I now 
resolve to abandon everything, be it what it may, as 
soon as I perceive that it displeases Thee, however 
much it may cost me, even should it be necessary for 
this purpose to lose all, or even to lay down my life. 
Fortunate indeed shall I be if I lose all to gain 
Thee, my God, my Treasure, my Love, my All ! 

Ejac. Jesus, my love, take all that I have ; take 
full possession of me ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

'* Whosoever is a little one, let him come to me. " — Prov. ix. 4. 

ary invites all children who need a mother to 
have recourse to her, as to the most loving 
— of all mothers. The devout Nieremberg 
says that the love of all mothers is a shadow in com- 
parison with the love which Mary bears to each one 
of us. My Mother, Mother of my soul, thou who 
lovest me, and desirest my salvation more than any 
other after God, O Mother, " show thyself a mother." 

Ejac. My Mother, grant that I may always remem- 
ber thee ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



294 



Exercises for Each Month. 



Kuxtf) Visit to tfyt 3£teseir Sacrament* 

||t. John says that he saw Our Lord girt up 
with a golden girdle, which supported His 
breasts : " I saw the Son of Man girt about 
the paps with a golden girdle" (Apoc. i. 12, 13). 
Thus also is Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar, with 
His breasts all filled with milk; that is to say, with 
the graces which, in His mercy, He desires to be- 
stow upon us. And as a mother, whose breasts are 
overcharged with milk, goes about seeking for chil- 
dren who may draw it off and relieve her of its weight, 
so also does He call out to us, " You shall be carried 
at the breasts" (Is. lxvi. 12). 

The Venerable Father Alvarez saw Jesus in the 
Blessed Sacrament with His hands filled with graces, 
and seeking to whom He might dispense them. Of 
St. Catharine of Siena it is related that when she 
approached the Most Holy Sacrament, she did so 
precisely with the same loving avidity with which a 
child flies to its mother's breast. 

O most beloved and only-begotten Son of the 
Eternal Father, I know that Thou art the object 
most worthy of being loved. I desire to love Thee 
as much as Thou deservest to be loved, or at least as 
much as a soul can ever desire to love Thee. I fully 
understand that I, who am a traitor, and so great a 
rebel to Thy love, deserve not to love Thee, neither 
do I deserve to approach Thee so near as I now am 
in this church. But I feel that Thou, for all this, 
seekest my love ; I hear Thee say, " My son, give Me 
thy heart. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
thy whole heart." I understand that it is for this 
end that Thou hast spared my life, and not sent me 
to hell, that I might be converted and turn all my 
affections to Thee. Since, then, Thou art pleased 
that even I should love Thee, oh, yes, my God, I will 
do so. Behold me : to Thee I yield myself up ; I 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



$9$ 



give myself to Thee. I love Thee. O God ! all 
goodness, all love, I choose Thee for the only King 
and Lord of my poor heart. Thou desirest it, and 
my will is to give it to Thee : it is cold, it is loath- 
some ; but if Thou acceptest it, Thou wilt change it. 
Change me, my Lord, change me ; I no longer have 
courage to live as I have hitherto done, ungrateful, 
and with so little love towards Thy infinite good- 
ness, which loves me so much, and deserves an in- 
finite love. Enable me to supply from this day for- 
ward for all the love which I have hitherto failed to 
bear Thee. 

Ejac. My God, my God, I will love Thee, I will 
love Thee, I will love Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

j|N all things like to her Son Jesus is His 
Mother Mary ; and as she is the Mother of 
mercy, she is thrice happy when she helps 
and consoles the miserable. So great is the desire 
of this Mother to bestow graces on all, that Bernar- 
dine de Bustis says that "she desires more to do us 
good, and to impart to us graces, than we can desire 
to receive them." 
Ejac. Hail, our hope ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

STcntf) Utstt to tfje 33lesscU Sacrament* 

foolish ones of the world, says St. Augus- 
tine, miserable creatures, where are you go- 
ing to satisfy your hearts ? Come to Jesus ; 
for by Him alone can that pleasure which you seek 
be bestowed. " Unhappy creatures, whither are you 
going ? The good you seek for comes from Him." 
My soul, be not of the number of these foolish ones ; 
seek God alone ; " seek for that one good in which 



296 



Exercises for Each Month, 



are all good things." And if thou desirest soon to 
find Him, behold, He is close to thee; tell Him 
what thou desirest, for for this end it is that He is 
in the ciborium, to console thee, and to grant thy 
prayer. St. Teresa says that all are not allowed to 
speak to their king ; the most that can be hoped 
for is to communicate with him through a third 
person. To converse with Thee, O King of glory, 
no third person is needed ; Thou art always ready 
in the Sacrament of the Altar to give audience to all. 
All who desire Thee always find Thee there, and con- 
verse with Thee face to face. And even if any one 
at length succeeds in speaking with a king, how 
many difficulties has he had to overcome before he 
can do so ! Kings grant audiences only a few times 
in the year ; but Thou, in this sacrament, grantest 
audience to all, night and day, and whenever we 
please. 

O Sacrament of Love, 'ihou Who, whether Thou 
givest Thyself in the Communion, or dwellest on the 
altar, knowest, by the tender attractions of Thy love, 
how to draw so many hearts to Thyself, who, en- 
amoured of Thee, and filled with amazement at the 
sight of such love, burn with joy, and think always 
of Thee ; draw also my miserable heart to Thyself ; 
for it desires to love Thee, and to live enslaved by 
Thy love. For my part, I now and from hence- 
forward place all my interests, all my hopes, and all 
my affections, my soul, my body, — I place all in the 
hands of Thy goodness. Accept me, O Lord, and 
dispose of me as Thou pleasest. I will never again 
complain, O my Love, of Thy holy dispensations ; 
I know that, as they all take their source in Thy 
loving heart, they will all be full of love, and for my 
good. It is enough for me to know that Thou 
wiliest them ; I will them also in time and in eternity. 
Do all that Thou wiliest in me and with me. I unite 
my entire self to Thy will, which is all holy, all good, 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



297 



all beautiful, all perfect, all loving. O Will of my 
God, how dear art Thou to me ! My will is ever to 
live and die united to and bound up with Thee. 
Thy pleasure is my pleasure. I will that Thy desires 
shall also be my desires. My God, my God, help 
me ; make me henceforward live for Thee alone ; 
make me will alone what Thou wiliest, and make 
me live only to love Thy amiable will. Grant that 
I may die for Thy love, since Thou hast died and 
become food for me. I curse those days in which I 
did my own will, so much to Thy displeasure. I 
love thee, O Will of God, as much as I love God, 
since thou art one with Him. I love Thee, then, 
with my whole heart, and give myself all to Thee. 
Ejac. O Will of God, thou art my love ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

j|HE great Queen says, " With me are riches . . . 
that I may enrich them that love me" (Prov. 
viii. 18, 21). Let us love Mary, if we would 
be rich in graces. The writer who calls himself "the 
Idiot" styles her " the treasure of graces." Blessed 
is he who has recourse to Mary with love and con- 
fidence. My Mother, my hope, thou canst make me 
a saint ; from thee I hope for this favor. 
Ejac. Mother most amiable, pray for me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

ISiebcntf) Visit to tfje Blessetr <Sacrctmnrt, 

Jet us be careful," says St. Teresa, " never to be 
at a distance from, or to lose sight of, Jesus, 
our beloved Shepherd ; for the sheep which 
are near their shepherd are always more caressed and 
better fed, and always receive some choice morsels 
of that which he himself eats. If by chance the 
shepherd sleeps, still the lamb remains near him, and 



298 



Exercises for Each Month. 



either waits until his slumber ends, or itself awakens 
him ; and it is then caressed with new favors." My 
Redeemer, present in this Most Holy Sacrament, 
behold me near Thee : the only favor which I ask of 
Thee is fervor and perseverance in Thy love. 

I thank thee, O holy faith ; for Thou teachest and 
assurest me that in the Divine Sacrament of the 
Altar, in that heavenly bread, bread does not exist ; 
but that my Lord Jesus Christ is all there, and that 
He is there for love of me. My Lord and my All, I 
believe that Thou art present in the Most Holy 
Sacrament; and though unknown to eyes of flesh, 
by the light of holy faith I discern Thee in the con- 
secrated Host, as the Monarch of heaven and earth, 
and as the Saviour of the world. Ah, my most sweet 
Jesus ! as Thou art my hope, my salvation, my 
strength, my consolation, so also I will that Thou 
shouldst be all my love, and the only subject of all 
my thoughts, of my desires, and of my affections. 
I rejoice more in the supreme happiness which Thou 
enjoyest, and wilt enjoy forever, than in any good 
thing which I could ever have in time or in eternity. 
My supreme satisfaction is that Thou, my beloved 
Redeemer, art supremely happy, and that Thy hap- 
piness is infinite. Reign, reign, my Lord, over my 
whole soul ; I give it all to Thee ; do Thou ever 
possess it. May my will, my senses, and my faculties 
be all servants of Thy love ; and may they never in 
this world serve for other than to give Thee satis- 
faction and glory. Such was thy life, O first lover 
and Mother of my Jesus ! Most holy Mary, do thou 
help me ; do thou obtain for me the grace to live 
henceforward, as thou didst always live, in the happi- 
ness of belonging to God alone. 

Ejac. My Jesus, may I be all Thine, and be Thou 
all mine ! 

Soirituai Communion, p. 278. 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 299 



Visit to Mary. 

" Blessed is the man . . . that watcheth daily at My gates, and 
waiteth at the posts of My doors."— Prov. viii. 34. 

B'SJfil LESSED * s ne w ho, like the poor who stand 
1 Wm ^eiore tne gates of the rich, is careful to seek 
— — 3 for the alms of graces before the doors of the 
mercy of Mary ! And thrice blessed is he who 
moreover seeks to imitate the virtues which he re- 
marks in Mary, and more especially her purity and 
humility ! 
Ejac. My hope, help me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



Etotlfti) Vimt to tije 33lesscir Sacrament* 

"God is charity: and he that abideth in charity abideth in God, 
and God in him." — i John iv. 16. 

who loves Jesus dwells with Jesus, and Jesus 
with him : " If any one love Me . . . My 
Father will love him ; and We will come to 
him, and will make Our abode with him" (John xiv. 
23). When St. Philip Neri received the holy Com- 
munion as Viaticum, on seeing the Most Blessed 
Sacrament enter his room, he exclaimed : " Behold 
my Love ! behold my Love !" Let each one of us, 
then, say, here in the presence of Jesus in the Blessed 
Sacrament : Behold my Love ! behold the object of 
all my love for my whole life and for all eternity ! 

Since, then, my Lord and my God, Thou hast said 
in the Gospel that he who loves Thee will be beloved 
by Thee, and that Thou wilt come and dwell in him 
and never more leave him, I love Thee above every 
other good : do Thou, then, also love me ; for I, in- 
deed, esteem being loved by Thee above all the 
kingdoms of the world. Come and fix Thy dwelling 
in the poor house of my soul in such a way that Thou 
mayest no more depart from me ; or rather, so that 



3°° 



Exercises for Each Month, 



I may never more drive Thee from me. Thou dost 
not go, if Thou art not expelled , but as I have al- 
ready done this, so I might do again. Ah, never 
allow such a fresh act of wickedness, such horrible 
ingratitude, to be perpetrated in the world, as that 
I, who have been so especially favored by Thee, and 
who have received so many graces, should again 
drive Thee from my soul ! But this might happen : 
I therefore, my Lord, desire death, if it so pleases 
Thee ; that by dying united to Thee, I may live 
united to Thee forever. Yes, my Jesus, for this I 
hope. I embrace Thee ; I press Thee to my poor 
heart ; grant that I may always love Thee, and 
always be beloved by Thee. Yes, my most amiable 
Redeemer, I will always love Thee ; and Thou wilt 
always love me. I trust that our love will ever be 
mutual, O God of my soul, and this for all eternity. 
Amen. 

Ejac. My Jesus, I desire always to love Thee, and 
always to be beloved by Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

" They that work by me shall not sin." — Ecclus. xxiv. 30. 

■ E, says Mary, who endeavors to honor me shall 
persevere to the end. " They that explain 
me shall have life everlasting;" and those 
who endeavor to make me known and loved by 
others will be of the number of the elect. Promise, 
then, that whenever you can, be it in public or in 
private, you will speak of the glories of Mary, and of 
devotion to her. 

Ejac. Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, most 
sacred Virgin ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 3c 1 



£j)tmrntf) l T tstt to tf)t iSlesscir Sacrament* 

41 My eyes and my heart shall be there always."— 3 Kings ix. 3. 

ehold, Jesus has verified this beautiful prom- 
ts ise in the Sacrament of the Altar, wherein 



Haa He dwells with us night and day. My Lord, 
would it not have been enough hadst Thou remained 
in this sacrament only during the day, when Thou 
couldst have had adorers of Thy presence to keep 
Thee company ; but why remain also the whole 
night, when the churches are all closed, and when 
men retire to their homes, leaving Thee quite alone? 
Ah. yes ! I already understand Thee : love has made 
Thee our prisoner ; the excessive love which Thou 
bearest us has so bound Thee down on earth, that 
neither night nor day canst Thou leave us. Ah, most 
amiable Saviour, this refinement of love alone should 
oblige all men ever to stay with Thee in the sacred 
ciboriums, and to remain with Thee until forcibly 
compelled to leave Thee ; and when they do so, they 
should all leave at the foot of the altar their hearts 
and affections, inflamed with love towards an Incar- 
nate God, Who remains alone and enclosed in a tab- 
ernacle, all eyes to see and provide for them in their 
necessities, and all heart to love them, and Who 
awaits the coming day to be again visited by His be- 
loved souls. 

Yes, my Jesus, I will please Thee ; I consecrate my 
whole will and all my affections to Thee. O infinite 
Majesty of God, Thou hast left Thyself in this Di- 
vine Sacrament, not only that Thou mightest be 
present with and near us, but principally to com- 
municate Thyself to Thy beloved souls. But, Lord, 
who will presume to approach Thee to feed upon 
Thy flesh? and who, on the other hand, can keep at 
a distance from Thee? For this purpose Thou con- 
cealest Thyself in the consecrated Host, that Thou 
mayest enter into us and possess our hearts. Thou 




302 



Exercises for Each Month. 



burnest with the desire of being received by us, 
and Thou rejoicest in being there united to us. 
Come, then, my Jesus, come ; I desire to receive 
Thee within myself, that Thou mayest be the God of 
my heart and of my will. All that is within me I 
yield, my dear Redeemer, to Thy love ; satisfactions, 
pleasures, self-will, all I give up to Thee. O Love, 
O God of love, reign, triumph over my entire self ; 
destroy and sacrifice all in me which is mine and not 
Thine. Permit not, O my Love, that my soul, which, 
having received Thee in the holy Communion, is 
filled with the Majesty of God, should again attach 
itself to creatures. I love Thee ; my God, I love 
Thee ; and I will love Thee alone and forever. 
Ejac. Draw me by the chains of Thy love ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 
Visit to Mary. 

T. Bernard exhorts us, saying : " Let us seek 
for grace, and let us seek it by Mary." 
" She," says St. Peter Damian, " is the treas- 



ure of divine graces." She can enrich us, and she 
desires to do so. She therefore invites and calls us, 
saying : " Whosoever is a little one, let him come to 
me" (Prov. ix. 14). Most amiable Lady, most exalt- 
ed Lady, most gracious Lady, look on a poor sinner, 
who recommends himself to Thee, and who places 
all his confidence in Thee. 

Ejac. We fly to Thy patronage, O holy Mother of 
God ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

ffouxttmti) ¥tstt to t!ie 3Slesseir Sacrament 

Host amiable Jesus, I hear Thee say from this 
tabernacle in which Thou art present : " This 
is My rest forever and ever; here will I dwell, 
for I have chosen it" (PsVcxxxi, 14), Since, then. Thou 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



303 



hast chosen Thy dwelling on our altars in the midst 
of us, remaining there in the Most Holy Sacrament, 
and since Thy love for us makes Thee there find 
Thy repose, it is but just that our hearts also should 
ever dwell with Thee in affection, and should find 
all pleasure and repose in Thee. Blessed are you, O 
loving souls, who can find no sweeter repose in the 
world than in remaining near to your Jesus in the 
Most Holy Sacrament ! And blessed should I be, 
my Lord, did I from this time forward find no 
greater delight than in remaining always in Thy 
presence, or in always thinking of Thee, Who in the 
Most Holy Sacrament art always thinking of me and 
of my welfare. Ah, my Lord, and why have I lost 
so many years, in which I have not loved Thee? O 
miserable years, I curse you ; and I bless thee, O infi- 
nite patience of my God, for having for so many years 
borne with me, though so ungrateful to Thy love. 
And still, notwithstanding this' ingratitude, Thou 
waitest for me ; and why, my God, why ? It is, that 
one day, overcome by Thy mercies and by Thy love, 
I may yield wholly to Thee. Lord, I will no longer 
resist, I will no longer be ungrateful. It is but just 
that I should consecrate to Thee the time, be it long 
or short, which I have still to live. I hope for Thy 
help, O my Jesus, to become entirely Thine. Thou 
didst favor me so much when I fled from Thee and 
despised Thy love ; how much more may I now hope 
that Thou wilt favor me, now that I seek and desire 
to love Thee ! Give me, then, the grace to love 
Thee, O God, worthy of infinite love. I love Thee 
with my whole heart ; I love Thee above all things ; 
I love Thee more than myself, more than my life. 
I am sorry for having offended Thee, O Infinite 
Goodness : pardon me ; and with Thy pardon grant 
me the grace to love Thee much in this life, until 
death, and in the next life for all eternity. O Al- 
mighty God, show the world the greatness of Thy 



304 Exercises for Each Month. 



power, in the prodigy of a soul ungrateful as mine 
has been becoming one of Thy greatest lovers. Do 
this by Thy merits, my Jesus. It is my ardent de- 
sire, and I resolve thus to love Thee during my 
whole life : do Thou, Who inspirest me with this de- 
sire, give me also the strength to accomplish it. 

Ejac. My Jesus, I thank Thee for having waited 
for me until now ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

r. Germanus, addressing the Most Blessed 
Virgin Mary, says : " No one is saved but 
through thee ; no one is delivered from evils 



but through thee ; there is no one on whom any gift 
is bestowed but through thee." Therefore, my Lady 
and my hope, if thou dost not help me I am lost, 
and shall be unable to bless thee in heaven. But, 
Lady, I hear all the saints say that thou never aban- 
donest those who have recourse to thee. He only 
is lost who has not recourse to thee. I, then, miser- 
able creature that I am, have recourse to thee, and 
in thee place all my hopes. 

Ejac. in the words of St. Bernard : Mary is my 
whole confidence ; she is the whole ground of my 
hope ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

ffiitttntf) Vtstt to tfje iSlessetr Sacrament* 

" I am come to cast fire on the earth : and what will I but that it 
be kindled ?" — Si. Luke xii. 49, 

Rather Francis Olimpio, the Theatine, used 
to say that there was nothing on earth which 
enkindled such ardent flames of divine love in 
the hearts of men as the Most Holy Sacrament of the 
Altar. Hence Our Lord showed Himself to St. 
Catharine of Siena in this Blessed Sacrament as a 
furnace of love, from which issued forth torrents of 
divine flames, spreading themselves pver the whol^ 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



305 



earth: so much so, indeed, that the saint, in perfect 
astonishment, wondered how it was possible that 
men could live without burning with love for such 
love on the part of God towards them. My Jesus, 
make me burn with the desire of Thee; grant that 
all my thoughts, and sighs, and desires, and seek- 
ings may be for Thee alone. Oh, happy should I 
be did this Thy heavenly lire fully possess me, and 
as I advance in years, gradually consume all earthly 
affections in me ! 

O Divine Word ! O my own Jesus ! I see Thee all 
sacrificed, all annihilated, and, so to say, destroyed on 
the altar, for my love. It is, then, but right that, as 
Thou sacrirlcest Thyself as a victim of love for me, I 
at least should consecrate myself wholly to Thee. 
Yes. my God and my sovereign Lord, I now sacrifice 
to Thee my whole soul, my entire self, all my will, 
and my whole life. I unite this poor sacrifice of 
mine, 6 Eternal Father, with the infinite sacrifice of 
Himself which Jesus. Thy Son and my Saviour, once 
ottered to Thee on the cross, and which He now of- 
fers to Thee so many times every day on our altars. 
Accept it, then, through the merits of Jesus ; and 
grant me the grace to renew it every day of my life, 
and to die sacrificing my whole self to Thy honor. 
I desire the grace granted to so many martyrs to die 
for Thy love. But if I am unworthy of so great a 
grace, grant, at least, my Lord, that I may sacrifice 
my life to Thee, together with my entire will, by ac- 
cepting the death which Thou sendest me. Lord. I 
desire this grace ; I desire to die with the intention 
of honoring and pleasing Thee thereby ; and from 
this moment I sacrifice my life to Thee ; and I offer 
Thee my death, whensoever or wheresoever it may 
take place. 

Ejac, My Jesus, I desire to die in order to please 
Thee! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 



306 Exercises for Each Month. 



Visit to Mary. 

Jllow me also, my most sweet Queen, to call 
thee, with thine own St. Bernard, " the whole 
ground of my hope," and to say, with St. 
John Damascene, " I have placed my whole hope in 
thee." Thou hast to obtain for me the forgiveness 
of my sins ; thou, perseverance until death ; thou, 
deliverance from purgatory. All who are saved 
obtain salvation through thee : thou, then, O Mary, 
hast to save me : " He will be saved whom thou 
wiliest." Will, then, my salvation, and I shall be 
saved. But thou savest all who invoke thee ; be- 
hold, then, I invoke thee, and say: 

Ejac. O salvation of those who invoke thee, save 
me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

SkiXXttwty Vinit to tfje SSIessetr Sacrament* 

jlAD men but always recourse to the Most 
Blessed Sacrament to seek from It the rem- 
edy for their ills, they certainly would not 



be as miserable as they are. The prophet Jeremias, 
lamenting, exclaimed : " Is there no balm in Galaad ? 
or is there no physician there ?" (Jer. viii. 22.) Galaad, 
a mountain of Arabia, rich in aromatical spices, 
according to Venerable Bede, is a figure of Jesus 
Christ, Who in this sacrament keeps in readiness all 
the remedies for our woes. Why, then, Our Redeem- 
er seems to ask, do you complain of your misfor- 
tunes, O sons of Adam, when you have the Physician 
and the remedy for them all in this sacrament?" 
" Come to Me, and I will refresh you" (Matt. xi. 28). 
I will then address Thee in the words of the sisters 
of Lazarus : " Behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick" 
(John xi. 3). Lord, I am that miserable creature 
whom Thou lovest ; my soul is all wounded by the 
sins which I have committed : my divine Physician, 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 307 



I come to Thee, that Thou mayest heal me. " If 
Thou wilt, Thou canst cure me" (Ps. xl. 5). Heal 
my soul ; for I have sinned against Thee. Draw me 
wholly to Thyself, my most sweet Jesus, by the all- 
winning attractions of Thy love. Far rather would 
I be bound to Thee than become the lord of the 
whole earth. I desire nothing else in the world but 
to love Thee. I have but little to give Thee ; but 
could I gain possession of all the kingdoms of the 
world, I would do so, that I might renounce them 
all for Thy love. For Thee, then, I renounce what 
I can ; I give up all relations, all comforts, all pleas- 
ures, and even spiritual consolations : for Thee I re- 
nounce my liberty and my will. On Thee I desire 
to bestow all my love. I love Thee, Infinite Good- 
ness, I love Thee more than myself, and I hope to 
love Thee for all eternity. 

Ejac. My Jesus, I give myself to Thee; do Thou 
accept me ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

Y Lady, thou didst say to St. Bridget : " How- 
ever much a man sins, if he returns to me 
J with a real purpose of amendment, I am in- 
stantly ready to welcome him : Heither do I pay 
attention to the greatness of his sins, but to the in- 
tention alone with which he comes. I do not disdain 
to anoint and heal his wounds ; for I am called, and 
truly am, the Mother of mercy." Since, then, thou 
hast both the power and the will to heal me, behold, 
I have recourse to thee, O heavenly physician ; heal 
the many wounds of my soul ; with a single word 
addressed by thee to thy Son I shall be restored. 
Ejac. O Mary, have pity on me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



308 Exercises for Each Month. 



^ebettteettt!) irtstt'to tfje 3Slesselr Sacrament* 

■ OVING souls can find no greater delight than 
to be in the company of those whom they 
love. If we, then, love Jesus Christ much, 
behold, we are now in His presence. Jesus in the 
Blessed Sacrament sees us and hears us : shall we, 
then, say nothing to Him ? Let us console ourselves 
in His company; let us rejoice in His glory, and in 
the love which so many enamoured souls bear Him 
in the Most Holy Sacrament : let us desire that all 
should love Jesus in the Holy Sacrament, and conse- 
crate their hearts to Him ; at least let us consecrate 
all our affections to Him. He should be all our 
love and our whole desire. Father de Sales, of the 
Society of Jesus, felt consolation in only speaking of 
the Most Blessed Sacrament : he could never visit It 
enough. When called to the parlor, on returning to 
his room, when going about the house, he always 
profited by these occasions to repeat his visits to his 
beloved Lord ; so much so that it was remarked that 
scarcely an hour of the day passed without his visit- 
ing Him. At length he obtained the favor to die by 
the hands of heretics while defending the truth .of 
the Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament. Oh, 
had I but the happiness to die for so noble a cause 
as the defence of this sacrament, in which, O most 
amiable Jesus, Thou has taught us the tenderness 
of the love which Thou bearest us ! But since, my 
Lord, Thou workest so many miracles in this sacra- 
ment, work this one also ; draw my entire self to 
Thee. Thou indeed desirest that I should be all 
Thine, and Thou dost also indeed deserve that I 
should be so. Give me the strength to love Thee 
with all the affection of my soul. Give the goods of 
this world to whomsoever Thou wiliest. I renounce 
them all : I sigh after and desire Thy love alone ; 
this alone do I now, and will always seek. I love 



Visits to the. Blessed Sacrament. 309 



Thee, my Jesus ; grant me the grace always to love 
Thee, and grant me this alone. 

Ejac. My Jesus, when shall I really love Thee ? 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

IKWfll v most sweet Queen, how pleasing to me is 
SfVv|$ that beautiful name by which thy devout 
[BMZJj clients address thee: " Most amiable Mother"! 
Yes, my Lady, thou art truly and indeed amiable. 
Thy beauty has captivated thy Lord Himself: " And 
the King shall greatly desire thy beauty" (Ps. xliv. 12). 
St. Bernard says that thy very name is so amiable 
to thy lovers, that when they pronounce or hear it 
they are inflamed with a fresh desire to love thee : 
" O sweet, O pious, O exceedingly amiable Mary! 
Thou canst not be named without inflaming, neither 
can thy name be heard without enkindling, the affec- 
tions of those who love thee." It is, then, reason- 
able, my most amiable Mother, that I should love 
thee. But I am not satisfied with only loving thee : 
I desire, in the first place on earth, and then in 
heaven, to be, after God, thy greatest lover. If my 
desire is presumptuous, it is thou thyself who art to 
blame, on account of thy amiability, and the special 
love which thou hast shown me. If thou wert less 
amiable, my desire to love Thee would be less. 
Accept, then, O Lady, this my desire : and in token 
that thou hast accepted it, do thou obtain me from 
God this love for which I ask thee, since He is so 
well pleased with the love which is borne thee. 

Ejac. My most amiable Mother, I love thee much! 
The usual prayer, p. 279. 



3io 



Exercises for Each Month. 



ne day Jesus will be seated on a throne of 



majesty in the valley of Josaphat : but now, 



in the Most Blessed Sacrament, He is seated 
on a throne of love. Did a king, to show his love 
for a poor shepherd, go and live in his village, how 
great would be the ingratitude of this peasant did 
he not often go to visit him, knowing the king's 
wish to see him, and that for this purpose he had 
come to reside there ! Ah, my Jesus, for love of 
me Thou dwellest in the Sacrament of the Altar. 
Could I, then, do so, my desire would be to remain 
night and day in Thy presence. If the angels, O 
my Lord, filled with astonishment at the love which 
Thou bearest us, remain always around Thee, it is 
but reasonable that I, seeing Thee for my sake on 
this altar, should endeavor to please Thee, at least 
by remaining in Thy presence, to praise the love and 
goodness which Thou hast for me : " I will sing 
praise to Thee in the sight of the angels ; I will 
worship towards Thy holy temple, and I will give 
glory to Thy name : for Thy mercy and for Thy 
truth" (Ps. cxxxvii. I, 2). 

O God, present in this Most Holy Sacrament, O 
Bread of angels, O heavenly Food, I love Thee; 
but Thou art not, neither am I, satisfied with my 
love. I love Thee ; but I love Thee too little. Do 
Thou, my Jesus, make known to me the beauty, 
the immense goodness, which I love : make my 
heart banish from itself all earthly affections and 
give place to Thy divine love. To fill me with Thy 
love, and to unite Thyself all to me, Thou descend- 
est every day from heaven on our altars : it is, then, 
but just that I should think of nothing else but 
loving, adoring, and pleasing Thee. I love Thee 
with my whole soul, I love Thee with all my affec- 
tions. If Thou art graciously pleased to make me a 




Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



return for this love, increase my love ; render its 
flames more ardent; that thus I may always love 
Thee more, and desire more and more to please Thee. 
Ejac. Jesus, my Love, give me love ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

S poor sick persons, who on account of their 
miseries are abandoned by all, find shelter 
in the public hospitals, so also do the most 



miserable sinners, although discarded by all, find 
protection in the mercy of Mary, by whom they 
are never rejected ; for God has placed her in the 
world as a receptacle and as a public hospital for 
sinners, as St. Basil of Seleucia gives us to under- 
stand. Hence St. Ephrem also calls her " the asylum 
of sinners." Therefore, my Queen, if I have re- 
course to thee, thou canst not reject me on account 
of my sins ; nay. even the more wretched I am. the 
greater is the claim which I have upon thy pro- 
tection, since God has created thee as the refuge 
of the most miserable. Therefore to thee I have 
recourse, O Mary ; I place myself under thy mantle. 
Thou art the refuge of sinners ; thou art, then, my 
refuge, the hope of my salvation. If thou reject 
me, to whom shall I have recourse ? 
Ejac. Mary, my refuge, save me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

^tnrtrrntl) Wv&xX to tije ISIcssctr ^acrawmt. 

a*T is sweet to every one to be in the company 
of a dear friend : and shall we not rind it 
sweet, in this vallev of tears, to remain in 



the company of the best Friend we have, and Who 
can do us even" kind of good ; Who loves us with 
the most tender affection, and therefore dwells al- 
wavs with us ? Behold, in the Most Blessed Sacra- 



312 



Exercises for Each Month, 



ment we can converse at pleasure with Jesus, we 
can open our hearts to Him, we can lay our wants 
before Him, and we can ask Him for His graces ; 
in a w T ord, in this sacrament we can treat with 
the King of heaven in all confidence and without 
restraint. Joseph was only too happy when, as the 
sacred Scripture tells us, God descended by His 
grace into his prison to comfort him : " She went 
down with him into the pit, and in bands she left 
him not" (Wisd. x. 13). But we are yet more highly 
favored ; for we have always with us in this land 
of miseries our God made man, Who, by His real 
presence, is with us all the days of our life, and 
comforts and helps us with the greatest affection 
and compassion. What a consolation it is to a poor 
prisoner to have an affectionate friend, who keeps 
firm company, consoles him, gives him hope, suc- 
cors him, and thinks of relieving him in his misery ! 
Behold our good Friend Jesus Christ, Who in this 
sacrament encourages us, saying : " Behold, I am 
with you all days." Behold Me, He says, all thine: 
I am come from heaven into thy prison expressly to 
console thee, to help thee, to deliver thee. Welcome 
Me, and do so always ; cling to Me, and thus thou 
wilt never feel thy miseries ; and afterwards thou 
wilt come with Me to My kingdom, where I shall 
make thee perfectly happy. 

O God, O incomprehensible ocean of love, since 
Thy condescension towards us is so great that in 
order to dwell near us Thou descendest upon our 
altars, I propose often to visit Thee ; I am deter- 
mined, as often as I possibly can, to enjoy Thy most 
sweet presence, which is the beatitude of the saints 
in heaven. Oh, could I but always remain in Thy 
presence, to adore Thee, and to make Thee acts 
of love ! Arouse, I beseech Thee, my soul, when 
through tepidity or worldly affairs it neglects to visit 
Thee. Enkindle in me a great desire always to re- 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



313 



main near Thee in this sacrament. Ah, my loving 
Jesus, would that I had always loved Thee ! would 
that I had always pleased Thee! I console myself 
that I still have time to do so, not only in the next 
life, but also in this. I am determined to do so ; I 
am determined to love Thee indeed, my Sovereign 
Good, my Love, my Treasure, my All. I will love 
Thee with all my strength. 
Ejac. My God, help me to love Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

|]he devout Bernardine de Bustis says: "O 
sinner, whoever you may be, despair not ; 
but with confidence have recourse to this 
Lady: you will find her hands filled with mercies 
and graces. And know also," he adds, "that this 
most compassionate Queen has a greater desire to 
do you good than you can have to be succored by 
her." I will ever, O my Lady, thank God for having 
taught me to know thee. Unfortunate indeed should 
I be did I not know thee, or did I forget thee. Ill 
would it fare with my salvation. But, my Mother, I 
bless thee, I love thee ; and so great is my confidence 
in thee that I place my whole soul in thy hands. 

Ejac. O Mary, blessed is he who knows thee and 
puts his trust in thee ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

STtoetttietf) Visit to tfje 33l?sse*r Bacramwt* 

[HE prophet Zacharias says : "In that day there 
shall be a fountain open to the house of 
David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
for the washing of the sinner" (ch. xiii. 1). Jesus in 
the Holy Sacrament is the fountain foretold by the 
prophet as open to all, and to which we can go 
whenever we please, to wash our souls from all the 



3H 



Exercises for Each Month, 



stains of sin which are daily contracted. When any 
one falls into some fault, what more beautiful rem- 
edy is there than to have immediate recourse to the 
Most Blessed Sacrament ? Yes, my Jesus, I resolve 
always to do this ; for I know that the waters of this 
fountain of Thine not only cleanse me, but also give 
me light, and strengthen me not to fall, and enable 
me cheerfully to bear contradictions, and also inflame 
me with Thy love. I know that for this end it is 
that Thou awaitest my visits, and recompensest 
those of Thy lovers with so many graces. My Jesus, 
delay not ; but wash me now from all the defects 
which I have committed this day, and for which I 
am grieved because they have displeased Thee ; 
strengthen me against relapse by giving me a great 
desire to love Thee much. Oh, could I but always 
dwell near Thee, as did Thy faithful servant Mary 
Diaz, who lived in the time of St. Teresa, and had 
permission from the bishop of Avila to inhabit the 
tribune of a church, where she remained almost al- 
ways in the presence of the Most Blessed Sacrament, 
which she called her neighbor, and which she only 
left to go to confession and Communion ! When the 
venerable Brother Francis of the Infant Jesus, of 
the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, passed before 
a church in which the Blessed Sacrament was kept, 
he could not refrain from entering to visit it, saying 
" that it was not becoming for a friend to pass before 
the door of a friend without entering, at least to 
salute him and exchange a word." But a word did 
not satisfy him ; he always remained as long as 
obedience allowed him in the Presence of his beloved 
Lord. 

My only and Infinite Good, I see that Thou hast 
instituted this sacrament, and that Thou remainest 
on this altar, to be loved by me ; and that for this 
end Thou hast given me a heart capable of loving 
Thee much. Why is it, then, that I am so ungrate- 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 3 1 5 



ful as not to love Thee ? or that I love Thee so 
little ? Now it is not just that such goodness as 
Thou art should be so little loved. The love, at 
least, which Thou bearest me deserves other and 
greater love on my part. Thou art an infinite God, 
and I am a miserable worm. It would be little did I 
die for Thee, or wear myself out for Thee, Who didst 
die for me, and dost sacrifice Thy entire self for me 
every day on the altar. Thou deservest to be much 
loved ; I will love Thee much ; help me, my Jesus, 
help me to love Thee, and to do that which pleases 
Thee so much, and which Thou so earnestly seekest 
of me. 

Ejac. My Beloved to me, and I to my Beloved! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

|Ff3j , }l]Y most sweet, most compassionate, most 
ifallS amiable Queen, oh, how great is the con- 
1 "™J| fidence with which St. Bernard inspires me 
when I have recourse to thee ! He says that thou 
dost not go examining the merits of those who have 
recourse to thy compassion, but that thou oflerest 
thyself to help all who pray to thee : " Mary does 
not discuss merits, but shows herself ready to hear 
and w r elcome all." Therefore, if I pray to thee, thou 
dost graciously hear me. Well, then, listen to what 
I have to ask thee : I am a poor sinner, deserving of 
a thousand hells. I wish to change my life; I wish 
to love my God, Whom I have so greatly offended. 
I dedicate myself to thee as thy slave ; to thee I give 
myself, miserable as I am ; save, then, a poor creature 
who is no longer his own, but thine. My Lady, dost 
thou understand me? Yes, I trust that thou hast 
understood me, and graciously heard my prayer. 
Ejac. O Mary, I am thine ; save me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



3i6 



Exercises for Each Month. 



ertoettt^tfrst Vinix to tjje ISlessetr Sacrament* 

" Wheresoever the body shall be, thither will the eagles also be 
gathered together." — 6Y. Luke xvii. 37. 

HE saints generally understand by this body 
that of Jesus Christ ; and by the eagles, souls 
who, being detached from creatures, rise 
above the things of the earth, and fly towards heaven, 
after which they always sigh in thought and affec- 
tion, and where they constantly dwell. These eagles 
also find their paradise on earth wherever they find 
Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament; so much so, in- 
deed, that they seem never to tire hovering around 
Him. If eagles, says St. Jerome, on scenting a dead 
body go from afar to seek it, how much more should 
we run and fly to Jesus in the Most Blessed Sacra- 
ment, as to the most delicious food of our hearts ! 
Hence saints in this valley of tears have always as 
parched harts run to this fountain of paradise. 
Father Balthasar Alvarez, of the Society of Jesus, 
in whatever occupation he was engaged, used often 
to cast his eyes towards the place in which he knew 
that the Blessed Sacrament was ; he often visited It, 
and even spent entire nights before It. He used to 
weep when he saw the palaces of the great ones of 
this world filled with people who courted a man 
from whom they hoped for some miserable earthly 
good, and the churches so abandoned in which the 
supreme Sovereign of the world dwells, and remains 
with us as on a throne of love, rich in immense and 
eternal treasures. He used also to say that religious 
persons were indeed fortunate, because in the very 
houses in which they reside they can, whenever they 
please, either night or day, visit this great Lord in 
the Most Blessed Sacrament ; and this, lay people 
cannot do. 

Since, then, my most loving Lord, notwithstand- 
ing that Thou seest me as a leper, and so ungrateful 
to Thy love, Thou invitest me to approach Thee, I 




Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 317 



will not be discouraged at the sight of my miseries ; 
I come and approach Thee ; but do Thou wholly 
change me. Drive from me every love which is not 
for Thee, every desire which displeases Thee, every 
thought which does not tend towards Thee. My 
Jesus, my Love, my Treasure, my All, I am deter- 
mined to please Thee alone. I will give pleasure to 
Thee alone. Thou alone deservest all my love ; 
Thee alone will I love with my whole heart. Detach 
me from everything, my Lord, and bind me to Thy- 
self alone ; but bind me so firmly that I may never 
more be able to separate myself from Thee, either in 
this life or in the next. 

Ejac. My most sweet Jesus, never allow me to be 
separated from Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

enis, the Carthusian, calls the Most Blessed 
Virgin " the advocate of all the wicked who 
have recourse to her." Since, then, O great 
Mother of God, thy office is to defend the causes of 
the most guilty criminals who have recourse to thee, 
behold me now at thy feet ; to thee I have recourse, 
and I address thee in the words of St. Thomas of 
Villanova: " O gracious advocate, fulfil thy charge." 
Now quickly enter upon thy office, undertake my 
cause : it is true that I have indeed been guilty before 
my Lord, having offended Him, after the many ben- 
efits and graces He has conferred upon me ; but 
the evil is done ; thou canst save me. Thou hast 
only to tell thy God that thou defendest me, and 
then I shall be forgiven, and shall be saved. 
Ejac. My dear Mother, thou hast to save me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



3i8 



Exercises for Each Mo7ith. 



2Ttoettt£-secotrtr T7t#tt to tje Messetr Sacrament 

he Spouse in the sacred Canticles went about 
seeking for her Beloved ; and not finding 

■ ' Him, she asked all whom she met : " Have 

you seen Him Whom my soul loveth?" (Cant. iii. 3.) 
Jesus was not then on earth ; but now, if a soul 
which loves Him seeks Him, she can always find 
Him 'in the Most Blessed Sacrament. The venerable 
Father John Avila used to say that amongst all 
sanctuaries he could neither find nor desire a more 
delightful one than a church in which the Most 
Blessed Sacrament is reserved. 

O infinite love of my God, worthy of infinite love! 
And how couldst Thou, my Jesus, ever abase Thyself 
so far as, in order to dwell amongst men, and to 
unite Thyself to their hearts, to humble Thyself to 
such a point as to conceal Thyself under the species 
of bread ? O incarnate Word, Thou art supreme in 
Thy humility, because Thou art supreme in Thy 
love ! How can I do otherwise than love Thee 
with my entire self, knowing as I do how much Thou 
hast done to captivate my love ? I love Thee much ; 
and therefore I give Thy good pleasure f.ie prefer- 
ence above every interest and every satisfaction of 
my own. My pleasure is to give Thee pleasure, 
.my Jesus, my God, my Love, my All. Make me 
hunger to be continually in Thy presence in the 
Blessed Sacrament, to receive Thee into myself, and 
to keep Thee company. I should be indeed ungrate- 
ful did I not accept so sweet and gracious an invita- 
tion. Ah, Lord, annihilate in me all affection for 
created things ! Thou wiliest that Thou alone, my 
Creator, shouldst be the object of all my sighs, of all 
my love. I love Thee, most amiable goodness of my 
God. I ask nothing of Thee but Thyself. I desire 
not my own pleasure ; Thy pleasure is all my desire, 
and sufficient for me. Accept, my Jesus, this good 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 3 1 9 



desire of a sinner who wishes to love Thee. Help 
me by Thy grace. Grant that I, a miserable slave of 
hell, may from this day forward be the happy slave 
of Thy love. 

Ejac. I love Thee, Jesus, my Treasure, above every 
other treasure ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

Y most sweet Lady and Mother, I am a vile 
rebel to thy great Son ; but I come repentant 
to thy mercy, that thou mayest obtain me 
pardon. Say not that thou canst not do so ; for St. 
Bernard calls thee ''the minister of propitiation." 
To thee also it belongs to succor those who are in 
dangers, St. Ephrem calling thee "the helper of 
those in peril." My Lady, who is in greater danger 
than I am ? I have lost God : it is certain that I 
have been condemned to hell. I know not whether 
God has yet pardoned me. I may again lose Him. 
But thou canst obtain me all ; and from thee I hope 
for every good, for forgiveness, perseverance, and 
heaven. I hope to be one of those who, in the king- 
dom of the blessed, will most praise thy mercies, O 
Mary, for having saved me by thy intercession, 

Ejac. I will sing the mercies of Mary for all eter- 
nity ; I will sing them forever and ever ! Amen, 
amen. 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

CtonttB^tgirtr Visit to tfjt 13lcsscfr iSarranrrnt* 

axy Christians submit to great fatigue and ex- 
pose themselves to many dangers, to visit the 
places in the Holy Land where our most 
loving Saviour was born, suffered, and died. We 
need not undertake so long a journey, or expose our- 
selves to so many dangers ; the same Lord is near 



320 



Exercises for Each Month, 



us, and dwells in the church, only a few steps distant 
from our houses. If pilgrims, says St. Paulinus, con- 
sider it a great thing to bring back a little dust from 
the crib, or from the holy sepulchre in which Jesus 
was buried, with what ardor should not we visit the 
Most Blessed Sacrament, where the same Jesus is in 
person, and where we can go without encountering 
so much fatigue and so many dangers? A religious 
person, to whom God gave great love for the Most 
Blessed Sacrament, amongst other things, wrote as 
follows in a letter : " I see that every good thing that 
I have comes to me from the Most Blessed Sacra- 
ment. I have given and consecrated my whole self to 
Jesus in this sacrament. I see innumerable graces 
which are not granted because people do not go to 
this divine sacrament. I see the great desire that 
Our Lord has to dispense His graces in the sacra- 
ment. O holy mystery ! O sacred Host ! Where is 
it that God manifests His power the most, if it is not 
in this Host ? For this Host contains all that God 
has ever done for us. Let us not envy the blessed 
who are in heaven, since on earth we have the same 
Lord, with greater wonders of His love. Endeavor 
that all with whom you speak should devote them- 
selves to the Most Blessed Sacrament. I speak thus, 
because this sacrament makes me beside myself. 
Neither can I cease speaking of the Most Blessed 
Sacrament, which deserves so greatly to be loved. I 
know not what to do for Jesus in this sacrament." 
Thus the letter ends. 

O seraphim, who remain sweetly burning with love 
around your and my Lord ; though it is not indeed 
for love of you but of me that this King of heaven is 
pleased to be present in this sacrament. — O loving 
angels, let me also burn with love ; and do you en- 
kindle your love in me, that with you I also may 
burn ! O my Jesus, teach me to know the greatness 
of the love which Thou bearest to men, that, at the 



Visits to the Blessed Saer anient. 321 



sight of so great love, my desire to love Thee and 
please Thee may go on always increasing ! I love 
Thee, most amiable Lord-, and will always love Thee; 
and this alone to please Thee. 

Ejac. My Jesus, I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, 
I love Thee, and I give myself to Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. . 

j|OST amiable Virgin, St. Bonaventure calls thee 
"the Mother of orphans;" and St. Ephrem, 
moreover, calls thee " the receiver of or- 



phans." Alas ! these wretched orphans are no others 
than poor sinners who have lost God. Behold, then, 
I have recourse to thee, most holy Mary. I have 
lost my Father; but thou art my Mother, who must 
enable me to recover Him. In this my so great mis- 
fortune I call thee to my aid ; do thou succor me. 
Shall I remain disconsolate ? No ; for Innocent III., 
speaking of thee, asks, " Who ever called upon her 
and was not giaciously heard by her?" And who 
ever prayed to thee and was -not heard and helped 
by thee ? Who was ever lost who had recourse to 
thee ? He alone is lost who has not recourse to 
thee. Then, my Queen, if thou desirest my salva- 
tion, enable me always to invoke and confide in thee. 

Ejac. My own most holy Mary, give me confidence 
in thee ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

STtoent^fourtf) Visit to tyt Messctr Sacrament, 

" Verily Thou art a hidden God." — Is. xlv. 15. 

Rn no other work of divine love are these words 
so fully verified as in this adorable mystery 
of the Most Holy Sacrament, where our God 
is entirely hidden. When the Eternal Word took 
flesh, He hid His divinity, and appeared as a man on 



322 



Exercises for Each Month, 



earth ; but remaining with us in this sacrament, He 
hides even His humanity, and, as remarks St. Ber- 
nard, appears only under tr^e form of bread, to show 
thereby the tenderness of the love which He bears 
us: "The divinity is hid, the humanity is hid; the 
bowels of charity alone appear." O my beloved Re- 
deemer, at the sight of the excessive tenderness 
Thou hast for men, I am beside myself, my Lord, 
and know not what to say. In this sacrament Thou 
goest so far for their love as to hide Thy majesty 
and lower Thy glory ; Thou goest so far as even to 
consume and annihilate Thy divine life. And whilst 
Thou art on the altar Thou seemest to have nothing 
else to do than to love men, and to show them the 
love which Thou bearest them. And what gratitude 
do they show Thee in return, O great Son of God ? 

O Jesus, O too great Lover of men, allow me so to 
say, for I see that Thou preferrest their advantage to 
Thine own glory. And didst Thou not know to how 
much contempt this loving design of Thine would 
expose Thee ? I see, and before me Thou didst see 
it full well Thyself, that the greater part of men 
adore Thee not, neither will they acknowledge Thee 
for what Thou art in this sacrament. I know that 
these very men have gone so far as to trample on 
the consecrated Hosts, that they have thrown them 
on the ground, into water, and into fire. And I see 
the greater part even of those who believe in Thee, 
O God, who, so far from repairing so many outrages 
by the homage of their devotion, either come to the 
church to offend Thee still more by their irrever- 
ences, or else abandon Thee on Thy altar, and some- 
times even leave it unprovided with a lamp or the 
necessary ornaments ! 

Oh, could I, my most sweet Saviour, but wash with 
my tears, or even with my blood, those unhappy 
places in which, in this sacrament, Thy love and Thy 
enamoured Heart have been go greatly outrage^ \ 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



323 



But if so much is not granted me, I desire at least, my 
Lord, and determine, to visit Thee often, in order to 
adore Thee as I now adore Thee, and this in com- 
pensation for the insults which Thou receivest in 
this most divine mystery. Accept, O Eternal Father, 
this scanty honor, which I, the most miserable of 
men, now offer Thee in reparation of the outrages 
offered to Thy Son in the Most Holy Sacrament ; 
accept it in union with that infinite honor which 
Jesus Christ gave Thee on the cross, and which He 
daily gives Thee in the Most Blessed Sacrament. O 
my Sacramental Jesus, would that I could fill all 
men with love for the Most Blessed Sacrament ! 

Ejac. O amiable Jesus, make Thyself known, make 
Thyself loved ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

V most powerful Lady, in the midst of my mis- 
givings as to my eternal salvation, how great 
is the confidence which I feel when I have 
recourse to thee; and when I think that thou, my 
Mother, art, on the one hand, so rich in graces that 
St. John Damascene calls thee " a sea of graces ;" St. 
Bonaventure, " the assemblage of graces," that is, 
the source in which all graces are congregated ; St. 
Ephrem, " a fountain of grace and of all consola- 
tion ;" and St. Bernard, " the fulness of every 
good — and when, on the other hand, I reflect 
that thy desire to do us good is so great that 
thou esteemest thyself offended, as St. Bonaven- 
ture says, by him who does not ask thee for thy 
graces: "They sin against thee, O Lady," he says, 
"who do not ask of thee." — O most rich, O most wise 
and most merciful Queen, I see that thou knowest 
far better than I do the wants of my soul, and that 
thou lovest me far more than I can love thee ! Know, 
then, the grace for which I now ask thee ; obtain me 



324 



Exercises for Each Month. 



the grace which thou knowest to be the most expe- 
dient for my soul. Ask this favor from God, and I 
am satisfied. 

Ejac. My God, grant me the graces which Mary 
asks Thee for me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



STtoent^fiftj) Utstt to tfje 3SIesseir .Sacrament* 

j|T. Paul praises the obedience of Jesus Christ, 
saying that He obeyed His Eternal Father 
even to death : " becoming obedient even unto 
death" (Phil. ii. 8). But in this sacrament He has 
gone still farther; for here He has been pleased to be- 
come obedient, not only to his Eternal Father, but 
also to man ; and not only to death, but as long as 
the world shall last; so that we can say: "He has 
become obedient even unto the consummation of 
the world." He, the King of heaven, comes down 
from heaven in obedience to man, and then seems 
to dwell and converse there, in order to obey men : 
" And I do not resist" (Is. 1. 5)/ There He remains 
without moving Himself ; He allows Himself to be 
placed where men will, be it for exposition in the 
remonstrance, or to be enclosed in the tabernacle ; 
He allows Himself to be carried wheresoever He is 
borne, be it into houses or through the streets; He 
allows Himself to be given in communion to whom- 
soever He is administered, be they just or sinners. 
St. Luke says that whilst He dwelt on earth He 
obeyed the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and St. 
Joseph ; but in this sacrament He obeys as many 
creatures as there are priests on earth : " and I do 
not resist." Permit me now to address Thee, O 
most loving Heart of my Jesus, from which indeed 
all the sacraments flowed forth, but principally the 
Sacrament of Love. I would gladly give Thee as 
much glory and honor as Thou givest in the Holy 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



325 



Sacrament in our churches to the Eternal Father. I 
know that on this altar Thou still lovest me with 
f hat same love with which Thou didst love me when 
Thou didst close Thy divine life in the midst of so 
much anguish on the cross. O divine Heart, en- 
lighten all those who know Thee not with the knowl- 
edge of Thyself! Through Thy merits deliver from, 
or at least relieve, the pains of the afflicted souls in 
purgatory, who are already Thy spouses for all 
eternity. I adore Thee, I thank Thee, I love Thee, 
in union with all souls who in this moment love 
Thee, be they on earth or in heaven. O most pure 
Heart, purify my heart from all attachment to 
creatures, and fill it with Thy holy love ! O most 
sweet Heart, possess my whole heart, so that from 
henceforward it may be all Thine, and always be 
enabled to say : " Who, then, shall separate us from 
the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord ?" 
(Rom. viii. 39.) Write, O most sacred Heart, upon 
my heart all the bitter sorrows which for so many 
years Thou didst endure on earth with so much love 
for me that, on seeing them, I may from henceforward 
desire, or at least endure with patience, all the sor- 
rows of this life. Most humble Heart of Jesus, give 
me a share of Thy humility. Most meek Heart, 
impart Thy sweetness to me. Take from my heart 
all that displeases Thee ; convert it w r holly to Thee, 
so that I may no longer will or desire other than 
what Thou wiliest. In a word, grant that I may 
live only to obey Thee, only to love Thee, only to 
give Thee pleasure. I know that I, indeed, owe 
Thee much ; and that Thou hast, indeed, placed me 
under great obligations : it will be but little if I con- 
sume and wear myself out for Thee. 

Ejac. O Heart of Jesus, Thou art the sole Lord of 
my heart ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 



326 



Exercises for Each Moitth. 



Visit to Mary. 



T. Bernard says that Mary is that heavenly 
ark in which, if we take timely refuge, we 
shall certainly be delivered from the ship- 
wreck of eternal damnation : " She is the ark in 
which we escape shipwreck." The ark in which Noe 
escaped from the general wreck of the world was in- 
deed a type of Mary. But Hesychius says that 
Mary is a more spacious, stronger, and more com- 
passionate ark. Only a few men and a few beasts 
were received and saved by the former; but Mary, 
our ark, receives all who take refuge under her 
mantle, and with certainty saves them all. Unfortu- 
nate should we be had we not Mary ! But still, my 
Queen, how many are lost ! and why ? Because 
they have not recourse to thee. And who would 
ever be lost had he recourse to thee ? 

Ejac. Grant, most holy Mary, that we may all and 
always have recourse to thee ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

2Ftoettt2^5trti) Visit to fye 2Slessetr Sacrament* 

" Rejoice and praise, O thou habitation of Sion : for great is He 
that is in the midst of thee, the Holy One of Israel." — Is. xii. 6. 

God, and what joy ought not we men to con- 
ceive, what hopes and what affections, in 
knowing that in the midst of our land, in our 



churches, near our houses, the Holy of holies, the 
true God, dwells and lives in the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment of the Altar ! He Who by His presence alone 
renders the saints in heaven blessed ! He Who is 
love itself. " It is not so much that he has love, as 
that he is love itself," says St. Bernard. This sacra- 
ment is not only a sacrament of love, but is love 
itself ; it is God Himself, Who, for the immense love 
which He bears His creatures, calls Himself, and is, 
love itself : " God is love" (i John iv. 8). But I 
hear Thee complain,. O my Sacramental Jesus : "I 



Visits to the*Blessed Sacrament, 327 

was a stranger, and you took Me not in" (Matt, 
xxv. 43) ; that Thou earnest on earth to be our guest 
for our good, and that we have not welcomed Thee. 
Thou art right, Lord, Thou art right ; and I am one 
of these ungrateful creatures who have left Thee 
alone, without even visiting Thee. Chastise me as 
Thou pleasest ; but not by depriving me of Thy 
presence, which is the chastisement I deserve : no, I 
will repair my fault, and the indignities which I 
have heaped upon Thee. From this day forward I 
will not only visit Thee often, but will remain with 
Thee for as long a time as I can. O most compas- 
sionate Saviour, be pleased to make me faithful to 
Thee ; and grant that I may also, by my example, 
excite others to keep Thee company in the Most 
Blessed Sacrament. I hear the Eternal Father, Who 
says : " This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am w r ell 
pleased" (Matt. xvii. 5). A God, then, finds all 
His complacency in Thee; and shall not I, a miser- 
able worm, find mine in dwelling with Thee in this 
valley of tears ? O consuming Fire, destroy in me 
all affections for earthly things ; for they alone can 
render me unfaithful, and take me away from Thee. 
Thou canst do so if Thou wilt: " Lord, if Thou wilt, 
Thou canst make me clean" (Matt. viii. 2). Thou 
hast already done so much for me, do this also : 
banish from my heart all love which does not tend 
towards Thee. Behold, I give myself all to Thee : 
I now dedicate the whole remainder of my life to 
the love of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Thou, O 
Sacramental Jesus, hast to be my comfort, my love 
in life, and at the hour of my death, when Thou 
wilt come to be my Viaticum and my guide to Thy 
blessed kingdom. Amen, amen. So do I hope; so 
may it be ! 

Ejac. When, O my Jesus, shall I behold Thy 
beautiful face ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 



328 



Exercises for Each Month. 



. Visit to Mary. 

j|N thee, our own most holy Mother, we find the 
remedy for all our woes ; in thee we find 
strength in our weakness; for St. Germanus 
calls thee the " strength itself of our weakness." In 
thee we find a door by which to make our exit from 
the slavery of sin ; for St. Bonaventure calls thee 
"the gate of liberty." In thee we find our certain 
peace ; for the same saint calls thee " the safe repose 
of men." In thee we find relief in our miserable 
life ; thou art " the solace of our pilgrimage," as St. 
Laurence Justinian calls thee. In thee, in a word, 
we find divine grace and God Himself; for St. 
Bonaventure calls thee " the throne of God's grace ;" 
and St. Proclus, " the bridge by which God descends 
to men ;" that happy bridge by which God, Who had 
been driven to a distance by our sins, returns to 
dwell by His grace in our souls. 

Ejac. O Mary, thou art my strength, my deliver- 
ance, my peace and salvation ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

£toent£-3ebmtj) Utstt to tjje 33lejs?seU Sacrament* 

[he holy Church sings in the Office of the 
Most Blessed Sacrament : " There is no other 
country, however great, whose gods are nigh 
it as our God is nigh to us." When the Gentiles 
heard how far our God carried His works of love, 
they exclaimed : Oh, how good a God is this God of 
the Christians ! And, indeed, notwithstanding that 
the Gentiles imagined their gods according to their 
own caprices — yet, read history, and in all their 
fables, and among the many gods they invented, 
you will never find that they went so far as even to 
imagine a god as enamoured of men as is our true 
God ; Who, to show His love for His adorers, and to 
enrich them with graces, has worked such a prodigy 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



3^9 



of love as to become their constant companion, and 
to remain night and day concealed on their altars, 
seeming as if He knew not how to separate Himself 
from them even for a moment: "He hath made a 
remembrance of His wonderful works" (Ps. ex. 4). 
Thou, then, my most sweet Jesus, hast been pleased 
to work the greatest of Thy miracles in order to 
satisfy the excessive desire which Thou hast to re- 
main always near and present to us. Why, then, do 
men fly from Thy presence ? And how can they live 
for so long a time at a distance from Thee, or visit 
Thee so seldom ? How is it that when in Thy pres- 
ence they get so weary that a quarter of an hour 
appears an age ? O patience of my Jesus, how 
great art Thou ! Yes. my Lord. I understand Thee ; 
Thy patience is great, because the love Thou bearest 
to men is great : and this it is which, so to say, 
forces Thee to dwell always in the midst of such un- 
grateful creatures. 

Ah, my God, Who, because Thou art infinite in 
perfections, art also infinite in love, permit not that 
I should for the future be, as I have hitherto been, 
of the number of these ungrateful ones. Grant me 
a love equal to Thy merits and to my own obliga- 
tions. At one time I also was weary in Thy presence, 
either because I loved Thee not, or because I loved 
Thee too little; but if by Thy grace I am enabled to 
love Thee much. I shall no longer find it tedious to 
remain even for whole days and nights at Thy feet 
in the Most Holy Sacrament. O Eternal Father. I 
offer Thee Thine own Son Himself ; accept Him for 
me, and through His merits give me so ardent and 
tender a love towards the Most Blessed Sacrament 
that, constantly turning towards some church in 
which He dwells, I may think of and desire with 
longing anxiety the time when I may be able to go 
and entertain myself in His presence. 



Exercises for Each Month. 



Ejac. My God, for the love of Jesus, give me a 
great love towards the Most Blessed Sacrament ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

ilARY is that tower of David of which the Holy 
Ghost says in the sacred Canticles : " It is 
built with bulwarks ; a thousand bucklers 
hang upon it, all the armor of valiant men" (Cant. iv. 
4). A tower built with a thousand fortresses, and 
containing a thousand shields and weapons, for the 
benefit of those who have recourse to it. Thou art, 
then, O most holy Mary, a most powerful defence 
for all those who are engaged in battle. Oh, how 
constantly are my enemies attacking me, in order to 
deprive me of the grace of God and of thy protec- 
tion, my most dear Lady ! But thou art my strength. 
Thou, indeed, dost not disdain to battle for those 
who trust in thee ; for St. Ephrem calls thee " the 
bulwark of all who confide in thee." Do thou, then, 
defend and fight for me, who have such great hope 
and confidence in thee. 
Ejac. Mary, Mary, thy name is my defence ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

&tontt£-dgf)tJ) Utstt to tf)e Messetr Sacrament* 

|OD having given us His own Son, says St- 
Paul, what good thing is there that we can 
fear He might deny us ? " How hath He not 
also with Him given us all things?" (Rom. viii. 32.) 
We know, indeed, that all that the Eternal Father 
has, He has given to Jesus Christ : " The Father has 
given Him all things into His hands" (John xiii. 3). 
Let us, then, ever thank the goodness, the mercy, 
the liberality of our most loving God, Who has been 
pleased to make us rich in all good things, and in 
every grace, by giving us Jesus in the Sacrament of 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 331 



the Altar: " In all things you are made rich in Him, 
. . . so that nothing is wanting to you in any grace" 
(1 Cor. i. 5, 7). 

Therefore, O Saviour of the world, O Incarnate 
Word, if I desire to have Thee, I can really think 
that Thou art mine, and all mine. But can I at the 
same time say that I am all Thine, as Thou desirest ? 
Ah, my Lord, prevent it ; and never let the world 
witness such disorder and such ingratitude as that 
I should not be Thine when Thou desirest me ! 

Ah, no ; let it never be ! If it has been so hitherto, 
let it never be so again. I now, with the utmost 
determination, consecrate myself entirely to Thee ; 
for time and eternity I consecrate my life, my will, 
my thoughts, my actions, my sufferings, to Thee. 
Behold me all Thine ; as a victim consecrated to 
Thee, I bid farewell to creatures, and offer my whole 
self to Thee. Consume me with the flames of Thy 
divine love. No, I am determined that creatures 
shall no longer share my heart. The proofs which 
Thou hast given me of the love which Thou bearest 
me, even at a time when I did not love Thee, make 
me hope that Thou certainly acceptest me now that 
I love Thee, and out of love give myself to Thee. 

Eternal Father, I now offer Thee all the virtues, 
the actions, the affections, of the Heart of Thy dear 
Jesus. Accept them, and by His merits, which are 
all mine — for He has given them to me — grant me 
the graces which Jesus asks Thee for me. With 
these merits I thank Thee for the many mercies which 
Thou hast shown me ; with these I satisfy for what 
I owe Thee for my sins ; through these I hope for 
every grace from Thee, — pardon, perseverance, para- 
dise, and, above all, the crowning gift of Thy pure 
love. I well see that to all these gifts I myself place 
impediments ; but do Thou also remedy this. I ask 
it of Thee in the name of Jesus Christ, Who has 
promised, " Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in 



332 Exercises for Each Month. 



My name, that I will do" (John xiv. 13, 14). Then 
Thou canst not refuse me. Lord, my only desire is 
to love Thee, to give myself to Thee without reserve, 
and no longer to be ungrateful to Thee, as I have 
hitherto been. Behold me, and graciously hear me; 
grant that this may be the day of my entire conver- 
sion to Thee, so that I may never more cease to love 
Thee. I love Thee, my God ! I love Thee, Infinite 
Goodness ! I love Thee, my Love, my Paradise, my 
Good, my Life, my All ! 

Ejac. My Jesus, Who art-all mine, Thou desirest 
me, and I desire Thee ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

IMTO'hat relief do I feel in my miseries, and what 
K&AjII consolation in my tribulations, what strength 
do I not find in the midst of temptations, 
when I remember and call thee to my aid, O my 
most sweet and most holy Mother, Mary ! Yes, in- 
deed, you were right, O ye saints, in calling my Lady 
"the haven of those who are in tribulation," with St. 
Ephrem ; " the repairer of our calamities," and "the 
solace of the miserable," with St. Bonaventure ; and 
" the rest from our mournings," with St. Germanus. 
My own Mary, do thou console me. I see myself 
loaded with sins, and surrounded by enemies; with- 
out virtue, and cold in my love towards God. Com- 
fort me, comfort me ; and let my consolation be to 
make me begin a new life, a life which will be really 
pleasing to thy Son and to thee. 

Ejac. Change me, O Mary, my Mother ; change 
me ; thou canst do it ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament, 



333 



£tucntw==ntntfj Ttstt to tfjc Elcssrtr Sacrament. 

M Behold, I stand at the gate and knock." — AJ>oc. iii. 20. 
JSgi MOST loving Shepherd, Who, not satisfied 



with sacrificing Thyself once to death on the 



BBS altar of the cross for the love of Thy sheep, 
hast moreover been pleased to hide Thyself in this 
divine sacrament on the altars of our churches, to be 
always nearer to, and to knock at the doors of, our 
hearts, and thus obtain Thy admission ! Ah, did I 
but know how to enjoy Thy nearness to me as did 
the sacred Spouse in the Canticles, who says, " I sat 
down under His shadow, whom I desired " (Cant. ii. 
3). Ah, did I but love Thee, did I but really love 
Thee, my most amiable Sacrament, I also should 
wish never to leave the foot of a tabernacle either 
night or day ; and fixing myself near Thy majesty, 
concealed under the apparent shadow of the sacred 
species, I also should find those divine sweetnesses 
and that happiness which souls enamoured of Thee 
there hnd. Ah, do Thou be graciously pleased to 
draw me by the odor of Thy beauties and of the 
immense love which Thou manifestest in this sacra- 
ment : '* Draw me ; we will run after Thee to the odor 
of Thy ointments" (Cant. i. 3). Yes, my Saviour, I 
will leave creatures and all earthly pleasures to run 
after Thee in this sacrament : " As olive-plants, round 
about Thy table" (Ps. exxvii. 3). Oh, what abundant 
fruits of virtues do those happy souls, like olive- 
plants, bring forth to God who assist with love be- 
fore the sacred tabernacle ! But I am ashamed to 
appear before Thee. O my Jesus, so naked and so 
devoid of all virtues. Thou hast commanded that 
ail who approach the altar to honor Thee should 
present a gift : " Thou shalt not appear empty before 
Me" (Ex. xxiii. 15). What, then, am I to do?. Am 
I no more to appear before Thee? Ah, no; this 




334 



Exercises for Each Month, 



would not please Thee. Poor as I am, I will approach 
Thee ; and do Thou provide me with the gifts which 
Thou desirest. I see that Thou dwellest in the 
sacrament, not only to reward Thy lovers, but also 
to provide for the poor out of Thy riches. 

Be it so, then ; let us now begin. I adore Thee, 
O King of my heart and true Lover of men. O 
Shepherd, loving Thy sheep beyond all bounds, to 
this throne of Thy love I now approach ; and having 
nothing else to present to Thee, I offer Thee my miser- 
able heart, that it may be entirely consecrated to Thy 
love and to Thy good pleasure. With this heart I 
can love Thee, and I will love Thee as much as I 
can. Draw it, then, to Thyself, and bind it wholly 
to Thy will, so that, filled with consolation, it may 
be able from henceforth to say, as Thy dear disciple 
said, that it is bound by the chains of Thy love : " I, 
Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ" (Eph. iii. i). 
Unite me, my Lord, entirely to Thyself, and make 
me forget myself, that I may have the happiness one 
day to lose all things, and even myself, to find Thee 
alone, and to love Thee forever. I love Thee, my 
Sacramental Lord ; to Thee do I bind myself, to 
Thee do I unite myself ; make me find Thee, make 
me love Thee, and never more separate Thyself from 
me. 

Ejac. My Jesus, Thou alone art sufficient for me ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 

Visit to Mary. 

j]T. Bernard calls Mary "the royal road of the 
Saviour ;" the safe road by which to find the 
Saviour and salvation. Since, then, it is 
true, O Queen, that thou art, as the same saint says, 
"the chariot in which our souls go to God,"— the 
one who guides us to Him, — ah, Lady, thou must 
not suppose that I shall advance towards God, if 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 335 



thou dost not carry me in thine arms ! Carry me, 
carry me; and if I resist, carry me by main force; 
do all the violence that thou canst by the sweet 
attractions of thy charity to my soul and to my 
rebellious will, that they may leave creatures, to 
seek for God alone and His divine will. Show the 
court of heaven the greatness of thy power. After 
so many wonders of thy mercy show this one more : 
make a poor creature who was far from God wholly 
His. 

Ejac. O Mary, thou canst make me a saint; I 
hope for this grace from thee ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

Qfyxxtxtty l T tstt to tf)t 33lessetr Sacrament. 

" Why hidest Thou Thy face ?" — Job xiii. 24. 

IRgjPjg|OB feared when he saw that God hid His face: 
H| HI but to know that Jesus Christ veils His ma- 
[ few*Qj ] j es ty in the Most Blessed Sacrament should 
not inspire us with fear, but rather with greater love 
and confidence ; since it is precisely to increase our 
confidence, and with greater evidence to manifest 
His love, that He remains on our altars concealed 
under the appearance of bread. Novarinus says 
" that whilst God hides His face in this sacrament 
He discloses His love." And who would ever dare 
approach Him with confidence, and lay bare before 
Him his affections and desires, did this King of 
heaven appear on our altars in the splendor of His 
glory ? 

Ah, my Jesus ! what loving invention was this of 
the Most Blessed Sacrament, to hide Thyself under 
the appearance of bread, in order to make Thyself 
loved, and that Thou mightest be found on earth by 
all who desire Thee ! The prophet was right in say- 
ing that men should speak and raise their voices 
throughout the/ world, in order to make known to 



336 



Exercises for Each Month. 



all men to what an excess the inventions of the love 
of our good God go for us : " Make His works known 
among the people" (Is. xxi. 4). O most loving Heart 
of my Jesus, worthy to possess the hearts of all crea- 
tures, — Heart all and ever full of flames of most pure 
love ! O consuming Fire, consume me all, and give me 
a new life of love and grace ! Unite me to Thyself in 
such a way that I may never more be separated from 
Thee. O Heart opened to be the refuge of souls, 
receive me ! O Heart, which on the cross wast so 
agonized for the sins of the world, give me true sor- 
row for my sins ! I know that in this sacrament 
Thou preservest the same sentiments of love for 
me which Thou hadst for me when dying on Cal- 
vary, and therefore Thou hast an ardent desire to 
unite me wholly to Thyself. And is it possible that 
I should any longer resist yielding up my entire self 
to Thy love and to Thy desire ? Ah, by Thy merits, 
my beloved Jesus, be pleased Thyself to wound me, 
to bind me, to force me, to unite me in all things to 
Thy Heart. I am now determined by Thy grace to 
give Thee all the pleasure that I possibly can, by 
trampling under foot all human respects, inclina- 
tions, repugnances, all my tastes and conveniences, 
which may prevent me from entirely pleasing Thee. 
Do Thou, my Lord, so help me that I may execute 
this determination in such a way that henceforward 
all my works, opinions, and affections may be all in 
conformity with Thy good pleasure. O Love of God, 
do Thou drive all other loves from my heart ! O 
Mary, my hope, thou art all-powerful with God ; 
obtain me the grace to be a faithful servant of the 
pure love of Jesus until death. Amen, amen. So I 
hope ; so may it be in time and in eternity! 

Ejac. Who shall separate me from the love of 
Christ ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 378, 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 337 



Visit to Mary. 

§~ T. Bernard affirms that the love of Mary to- 
wards us cannot be greater or more power- 
— ful than it is ; hence by her affection she is 
always abundant in her compassion for us, and by 
her power she is plentiful in the relief she affords us : 
44 The most powerful and compassionate charity of 
the Mother of God abounds in tender compassion, 
and in kind relief : she is equally rich in both." So 
that, my most pure Queen, thou art rich in power, 
and rich in compassion ; thou art able, and de- 
sirest, to save all. I therefore beseech thee, now and 
always, in the words of the devout Blosius, saying : 
44 O Lady, protect me in my combats, and confirm 
me when I am wavering." O most holy Mary, in 
this great battle in which I am now engaged with 
hell, do thou always "help me ; but when thou seest 
me wavering and likely to fall, O my Lady ! do thou 
then extend thy hand with greater promptitude, and 
sustain me with greater vigor. O God ! how many 
temptations have I still to overcome before my 
death ! Mary, my hope, my refuge, my strength, do 
thou protect me, and never allow me to lose the 
grace of God. And on my part, I resolve always 
and instantly to have recourse to thee in all tempta- 
tions, saying : 

Ejac. Help me, Mary ! Mary, help me ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

£f)trt^first l r tsit to tfje BIcssetr Sacrament* 

H, how beautiful a sight was it to behold our 
sweet Redeemer on that day when, fatigued 
by His journey, He sat down, all engaging 
and loving, beside the well to await the Samaritan 
woman, that He might convert and save her ! 44 Jesus, 
therefore, sat thus on the well" (John iv. 6). It 
is precisely thus that this same Lord seems sweetly 




338 Exercises for Each Month. 



to dwell with us all the day long, having come down 
from heaven upon our altars as upon so many foun- 
tains of graces, where He awaits and invites souls to 
keep Him company, at least for a while, that He may 
thus draw them to His perfect love. From every 
altar on which Jesus remains in the Most Holy Sac- 
rament He seems to speak and address all, saying : 
O men ! why do you fly My presence ? Why do 
you not come and draw near to Me, Who love you 
so much, and Who remain thus annihilated for your 
sakes ? Why do you fear ? I am not now come on 
earth to judge ; but I have hid myself in this sacra- 
ment of love only to do good, and to save all who 
have recourse to Me : " I came not to judge the 
world, but to save the world " (John xii. 47). 

Let us, then, understand that as Jesus Christ in 
heaven is " always living to make intercession for 
us" (Heb. vii. 25), so in the Sacrament of the Altar 
He is continually, both night and day, exercising 
the compassionate office of our Advocate ; offering 
Himself as a Victim for us to the Eternal Father, 
thus to obtain for us His mercies and innumerable 
graces. Therefore the devout Thomas a Kempis 
says that we ought to approach and converse with 
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament without the fear of 
chastisement, and unrestrained, as to a beloved 
friend, "as one who loves speaks to his beloved, as a 
friend to a friend." 

Since, then, Thou thus givest me permission, let 
me, O my hidden King and Lord, now open my 
heart to Thee with confidence, and say : O my Jesus ! 
O enamoured of souls, I well know the injustice that 
men do Thee. Thou lovest them, and art not be- 
loved by them ; Thou doest good, and receivest con- 
tempt ; Thou desirest to make them hear Thy voice, 
and they give Thee no ear; Thou offerest them Thy 
graces, and they refuse them. Ah, my Jesus ! and 
is it true that I also at one time joined these ungrate- 



Visits to the Blessed Sacrament. 



339 



ful creatures in thus displeasing Thee ? O God, it is 
but too true ! But I am determined to amend, and 
to endeavor, during the time that I still have to live, 
to make up for the displeasure which I have caused 
Thee, by doing ail that I possibly can to please Thee 
and to give Thee pleasure. Tell me, Lord, what Thou 
askest of me ; I will execute all without any reserve : 
make it known to me by the means of holy obe- 
dience, and I hope to do it. My God, I now reso- 
lutely promise Thee that I will never, from this day 
forward, omit anything which I know to be, rather 
than another, pleasing to Thee, even were I there- 
by to lose all, — parents, friends, esteem, health, and 
even life. Let all perish, provided Thou art pleased : 
happy is that loss, when all is lost and sacrificed to 
satisfy Thy Heart. O God of my soul ! I love Thee, 

Sovereign Good, worthy of love above every other 
good ; and in loving Thee I unite my poor heart to 
all the hearts with which the seraphim love Thee ; 

1 unite it to the heart of Mary, to the heart of Jesus. 
I love Thee with my entire self ; Thee alone will I 
love, and Thee alone will I always love. 

Ejac. My God, my God! I am Thine, and Thou 
art mine ! 

Spiritual Communion, p. 278. 



Visit to Mary. 

Ilessed Amadeus says that our most blessed 
Queen, Mary, is always in the divine pres- 
» ence, acting as our advocate, and inter- 
posing with God by her prayers, which are most 
powerful : " The most blessed Virgin stands before 
the face of her Creator, interceding with her most 
powerful prayers for us. For," he adds, " she well 
sees our miseries and our dangers, and the most 
clement and sweet Lady compassionates and suc- 
cors us with a mother's love." Thou, my advocate 



340 



Exercises for Each Month. 



and my most loving Mother, thou even now seest 
the miseries of my soul ; thou seest my dangers and 
prayest for me. Pray, pray, and cease not to pray, 
until thou seest me saved and thanking thee in 
heaven. The devout Blosius tells me that thou, 
O most sweet Mary, art, after Jesus, the certain sal- 
vation of those who are thy faithful servants. Ah ! 
this grace I now ask thee ; grant me the happy lot 
of being thy faithful servant until death ; that after 
death I may go to 6 bless thee in heaven, where I 
shall be certain never more, as long as God is God, 
to leave thy sacred feet. 

Ejac. O Mary, my Mother, grant that I may be 
ever thine ! 

The usual prayer, p. 279. 

My Good, my God, all mine Thou art ; 
Myself I give Thee, all my heart; 
For Thee, and Thee alone, I sigh. 

"What have I in heaven ? and besides Thee, what 
do I desire upon earth ? Thou art the God of my 
heart, and the God that is my portion forever" (Ps. 
lxxii. 25, 26). 




Visits to St. Joseph. 



341 



2. IDisits to St. 3o0epb for TEvevv 
2>a£ of tbe flDontb. 

St. Alphonsus was not only the apostle of devotion to Our Lord 
Jesus Christ and to the Blessed Virgin Mary; he also inculcated an 
equally lively devotion to the great St. Joseph, whom, in his pious 
invocations, he never separated from Jesus and Mary. The writings 
which he has left us concerning" this glorious patriarch bear strik- 
ing testimony to the respect, confidence, and love which filled his 
heart for the nursing-father of Jesus. It is more than probable that 
if St. Alphonsus had lived in our time, which is evidently the epoch 
of St. Joseph's glorification and the extension of his worship, he 
would have added daily visits in honor of the Patriarch to those daily 
visits which he left us in honor of the Blessed Sacrament and the 
Blessed Virgin Mary. This reflection inspired a son of St. Alphonsus 
with the idea of extracting thirty-one visits to St. Joseph textually 
from the holy Doctor's works, imitating, as nearly as possible, the 
manner in which the saint proceeded with regard to the Visits to 
the Blessed Virgin. 

Read the visit of the day, and terminate with the following prayer: 

Y holy Patriarch, I rejoice at thy happiness 
and greatness in being made worthy to have 
power to command, with the authority of a 
father, Him Whom heaven and earth obey, and to 
make Him obey thee. My holy Patron, since a God 
has served thee, I too wish to enroll myself in thy 
service ; I choose thee, after Mary, for my principal 
advocate and protector. I promise to honor thee 
every day by some special devotion, and each day I 
will place myself under thy protection. Through the 
sweet company of Jesus and Mary, which thou didst 
enjoy during life, protect me during my whole life, 
that I may never be separated from God by losing 
His grace. And through the assistance which Jesus 
and Mary gave thee at death, protect me at the hour 
of my death, that, dying in the company of thee, of 
Jesus and Mary, I may one day go to thank thee in 



34^ Exercises for Each Month. 



paradise, and in thy company praise and love thy 
God to all eternity. Amen. 

* St. Joseph, Patron of the universal Church, pro- 
tect us; protect our Holy Father the Pope, and our 
Mother, Holy Church. 

I. 

[p||||[OD, in the great love He bears us, and in His 
L^O g reat desire to see us saved, amongst the 
Ik^a l many means of salvation with which He has 
provided us, has given us in particular that of devo- 
tion towards the saints. He wills that they, as His 
friends, should intercede for us, and by their merits 
and prayers obtain graces for us which we do not of 
ourselves deserve. But who is not aware that, after 
the divine Mother, St. Joseph is, of all the saints, 
the one who is the dearest to God ; and that he has 
in consequence great power with Him, and can 
therefore obtain graces for his devout clients? Let 
us then frequently say : 

* St. Joseph, give me the greatest confidence in 
thy powerful intercession. 



II. . 

I'^HjE should indeed honor St. Joseph, since the 
l&Ail S° n of God Himself was graciously pleased 
l ^gsil to honor Him, by calling him his father. 
" Christ," says Origen, "gave to Joseph the honor 
due to a parent." He is also thus spoken of in the 
Gospel : " And His father and mother were wonder- 
ing at those things which were spoken concerning 
Him" (Luke ii. 33). The divine mother also spoke of 
him under this name. "Thy father and I have 
sought Thee sorrowing" (Luke ii. 48). If, then, the 
King of kings was pleased to raise Joseph to so 
high a dignity, it is right, and a duty on our part, to 
endeavor to honor him as much as we can. 



Visits to St. Joseph. 



343 



* St, Joseph, I consecrate myself to thy service 
forever : do thou protect me. 

III. 



hat angel or saint" says St. Basil, " ever 
merited to be called the father of the Son 
of God? Joseph alone was thus called." 
Hence we can apply to St. Joseph the words of St. 
Paul, " being made so much better than the angels 
as he hath inherited a more excellent name than 
they" (Heb. i. 4). St. Joseph was more honored by 
God, in this name of father, than all the patriarchs, 
prophets, apostles, and pontiffs ; for all these have 
the name of servants, Joseph alone that of father. 

* St. Joseph, pray thou for me to Jesus, Whose 
foster-father thou art. 

IV. 

Jesus Himself recommended St. Margaret of 
Cortona to cherish a particular devotion to 
St. Joseph, and never to allow a day to pass 
without rendering him some homage as His foster- 
father. Let us not, then, fail to recommend ourselves 
to St. Joseph daily and several times a day. Let us 
ask him for graces : he will obtain them all for us, 
so that they will be useful to our souls. 

* St. Joseph, make me faithful in invoking thee 
daily. 

V. 



t. Joseph, as father, was made lord of the 
Holy Family ; a family that was little in 
point of numbers, but great on account of 
the two great personages who composed it — the 
Mother of God, and the only-begotten Son of God 
made man : " He made him master of His house" 
(Ps. civ. 21). Joseph commanded in that house, and 
the Son of God obeyed. 



344 Exercises for Each Month. 



* St. Joseph, by the obedience which Jesus ren- 
dered thee, make me always obedient to the will of 
God. 

VI. 

j]osuE excited the admiration of the whole 
world when he commanded the sun to stop 
in its course, that he might have time to 
conquer his enemies ; and the sun obeyed. But 
what comparison can there be between Josue, whom 
the sun, an inanimate creature obeyed, and Joseph, 
who was obeyed by Jesus Christ, the Son of God? 

* St. Joseph, so great, and at the same time so 
humble, obtain me true humility. 

VII. 

j|T. Bernard, speaking of St. Joseph, says : " He 
was a prudent and faithful servant, whom 
Our Lord made the solafce of His Mother, 
the nourisher of His humanity, and, in fine, the 
most faithful co-operator in the great council on 
earth." 

* St. Joseph, save us ; our salvation is in thy 
hands. 

VIII. 

According to St. John Damascene, " God gave 
St. Joseph the love, the care, and the author- 
ity of a father over Jesus : He gave him the 
affection of a father, that he might guard Him with 
great love ; the solicitude of a father, that he might 
watch over Him with care ; and the authority of a 
father, that he might feel sure that he would be 
obeyed in all that he arranged as to the person of 
this Son." 

* St. Joseph, be thou always a father to us, and 
may we ever be thy faithful children. 



Visits to St. Joseph. 



545 



IX. 

|y holy Patriarch, through the pain which thou 
didst feel in seeing the divine Word born 
in a stable, so poor, without fire, without 
clothes, and in hearing the cries caused by the cold 
which afflicted Him. I pray thee to obtain for me a 
true sorrow for my sins, by which I have drawn tears 
from Jesus ; and through the consolation which thou 
didst receive at the. first sight of the Infant Jesus 
born in the crib, so beautiful and lovely that thy 
heart began from that moment to burn with such 
great love for so loving and amiable an infant, obtain 
for me also the grace to love Him with an ardent 
love on this earth, that I may one day go to enjoy 
Him in heaven. 

* St. Joseph, penetrate our hearts with contrition, 
and render them more sensible of the loveliness of 
Jesus. 

X. 

v holy protector, through the prompt obedi- 
ence which thou hast always shown to the 
Divine Will, obtain for me from thy Jesus the 
grace of perfect obedience to the divine commands. 
Obtain for me the grace that, in the journey which 
my soul is making to eternity, in the midst of so 
many enemies. I may never, till the last moment of 
my life, lose the society of Jesus and Mary. If I am 
accompanied by them, all the toils of this life, and 
even death itself, shall be sweet and agreeable to 
me. 

* St. Joseph. I wish to be all thine, that by thee I 
may remain all Jesus and Mary's. 

XI. 

great Saint, through the merits of the pains 
which thou didst suffer at having lost Jesus 
in the Temple, obtain for me tears to weep 
continually for the injuries I have done Him. And 



346 



Exercises for Each Month. 



through the joy which thou didst afterwards feel in 
finding Him in the temple, obtain for me the grace 
that I may also find Him again in my heart, by His 
grace, and that I may never more lose' Him. 

* St. Joseph, increase our faith, and render it 
more lively, especially in the presence of Jesus in 
the Most Holy Sacrament. 

XII. 



hen God, says St. Thomas, destines any one 
for a particular charge, He gives him the 
graces which fit him for it. God having, 
then, chosen St. Joseph to fill the charge of a father 
over the person of the Incarnate Word, we must 
certainly believe that He conferred upon him all the 
wisdom of sanctity which became such an office. 
Gerson says that amongst other privileges Joseph 
had three which were special to him : i. That he was 
sanctified in his mother's womb, as were Jeremias 
and St. John the Baptist ; 2. That he was at the 
same time confirmed in grace ; 3. That he was 
always exempt from the inclinations of concupiscence 
— a privilege with which St. Joseph, by the merit of 
his purity, favors his devout clients, delivering them 
from carnal appetites. 

* St. Joseph, shining light of chastity, preserve 
the angelic virtue in me. 

XIII. 

j]N the Gospel St. Joseph is called JUST. What 
is meant by a just man ? St. Peter Chry- 
sologus says that " it means a perfect man, 
one who possesses all virtues." Joseph was already 
holy before his marriage; but how much must his 
sanctity have increased after his union with the 
divine Mother ? The example of his holy spouse 
sufficed to sanctify him. But since Mary, as St. 



Visits to St. Josetk* 



347 



Bernardine of Siena says, is the dispenser of all the 
graces which God grants to men, in what profusion 
must we not believe that she showered them down 
upon her spouse, whom she loved so much, and by 
whom she was so tenderly loved ! 

* St. Joseph, increase my devotion to Mary. 

XIV. 

|he two disciples going to Emmaus were in- 
flamed with divine love by the few moments 
which they spent in company with Our 
Saviour, and by His words. What flames of holy 
love must we not suppose to have been enkindled in 
the heart of St. Joseph, who for thirty years con- 
versed with Jesus Christ, and listened to His words 
of eternal life ; who observed the perfect example 
which He gave of humility and patience, and saw the 
promptitude with which He obeyed and helped him 
in his labors, and in all that was needed for the 
household ! 

* St. Joseph, inflame us with the love of Jesus. 

XV. 



j]HE apostle writes that in the next life Jesus 
Christ " will render to every man according 
to his works" (Rom. ii. 6). What great 
glory must we not suppose that He bestowed upon 
St. Joseph, who served and loved Him so much 
whilst He lived on earth ! Our Lord has promised 
a reward to him who gives a cup of cold water to the 
poor in His name; what, then, .must be the reward 
of St. Joseph, who can say to Jesus Christ : " I not 
only provided Thee with food, with a dwelling, and 
with clothes; but I saved Thee from death, deliver- 
ing Thee from the hands of Herod " ! 

* St Joseph, do thou animate our zeal for growing 
in virtue by the hope of eternal rewards. 



34§ Exercises for Each Month. 



XVI. 

E ought to believe that the life of Joseph, spent 
in the presence of Jesus and Mary, was a 
continual prayer, abounding in acts of faith 
and confidence, of love, of resignation, of oblation. 
Since, then, the reward of the saints corresponds to 
their merits in this life, consider how great must be 
the glory of St. Joseph in heaven. St. Augustine 
compares the other saints, to the stars, but St. Joseph 
to the sun. Father Suarez says that it is very reason- 
able to suppose that St. Joseph, after Mary, surpasses 
all the other saints in merits and glory. From this 
the Venerable Bernardine de Bustis infers that when 
St. Joseph asks any grace for those that are devoted 
to him, his prayers have in a certain manner the force 
of a command with Jesus and Mary. 

* St. Joseph, obtain for us a great spirit of prayer. 

XVII. 

prove the power which St. Joseph possesses 
in paradise, St. Bernardine of Siena ex- 
presses himself thus : " We cannot doubt 



that Christ not only does not refuse to St. Joseph in 
heaven that familiarity and reverence which, as a 
son towards his father, He accorded him when He 
lived on earth, but rather that it is now perfected." 
Remark the words " familiarity and reverence "; 
that Lord, Who on earth revered St. Joseph as His 
father, will certainly deny him nothing that he asks 
in heaven. Let us then say to him in confidence : 

* St. Joseph, powerful protector of our souls, keep 
us from all sin. 

XVIII. 

Jlthough on earth St. Joseph had not the 
authority, by nature, of a father over the 
humanity of Jesus Christ, he nevertheless 
had it, at least in a certain manner, as the spouse of 



Visits to St. Joseph, 



349 



Mary, who, as the real Mother of the Saviour, had 
authority over Him : he to whom the tree belongs 
has also a right to its fruits. This caused Jesus, 
when on earth, to respect and obey St. Joseph as 
His superior. This also causes Jesus, now in heaven, 
to consider the prayers of St. Joseph in the light of 
commands. For " when a father prays his son," says 
Gerson, " his prayer has the force of a command." 

* St. Joseph, be our help in temptation and our 
strength in adversity. 

XIX. 

great Saint, since a God has served thee, I 
too wish to enroll myself in thy service. I 
wish henceforth to serve thee, to honor and 
love thee as my master. Take me under thy pro- 
tection, and dispose of me as thou pleasest. My 
holy St. Joseph, pray to Jesus for me. Having 
obeyed all thy commands on earth, He will certainly 
never refuse anything thou askest of Him. Tell Him 
to pardon me the offences that I have offered Him. 
Tell Him to detach me from creatures and from my- 
self; ask Him to inflame me with His holy love; 
and then let Him treat me as He pleases. 

* St. Joseph, watch over thy children. 




XX. 

flv holy Patriarch, now that thou dost exult in 
heaven on a lofty throne, near thy beloved 
Jesus, Who was subject to thee on earth, 
have pity on me. who am exposed to the attacks of 
so many enemies, to the bad spirits, and passions, 
that continually strive to rob me of the grace of 
God. Ah ! through the grace given to thee on earth 
of enjoying the continual society of Jesus and Man*, 
obtain for me the grace of living during the remain- 
ing days of my life always united with God, by resist- 



35° Exercises for Each Month, 



ing the attacks of hell, and of dying loving Jesus and 
Mary, that I may be able one day to enjoy with thee 
their company in the kingdom of bliss. 

* St. Joseph, give me the victory over my passions, 
and a horror of sin. 

XXI. 

j|T. Bernard, speaking of St. Joseph's power of 
dispensing graces to his devout servants, 
makes use of the following remarkable words : 
" To some of the saints power is granted to succor 
in particular necessities; but to St. Joseph power is 
granted to succor in all necessities, and to defend 
all those who, with devotion, have recourse to him." 
Let us then often say to him : 

* St. Joseph, help us when we are in need. 

XXII. 

||t. Teresa says: "The narration of the many 
graces which God bestowed on me, and of 
the dangers, corporal as well as spiritual, 
from which He has delivered me, through St. Joseph, 
would excite wonder. The Lord appears to have 
given power to the other saints to assist us in a 
single necessity ; but experience shows us that this 
saint gives aid in all necessities. The Lord gives us 
to understand that, as He wished to be subject to 
St. Joseph on earth, so in heaven He does whatever 
the saint asks." 

* St. Joseph, obtain for me the grace of persever- 
ance in praying well. 

XXIII. 

j]T. Teresa says also : " I would wish to persuade 
all the world to be devoted to this saint, be- 
cause I have long experience of the great 
favors which he obtains from God. I have not 



Visits to St. Joseph. 



known any soul particularly devoted to this saint 
that did not always advance in virtue. I ask, for 
God's sake, that they who do not believe me will at 
least make a trial of this devotion." 

* St. Joseph, Patron of the interior life, do thou 
lead me to that perfection which God requireth of 
me ! 

XXIV. 

Jet us imagine that we hear Our Lord, when 
He sees us afflicted in the midst of our mis- 
J eries, address us all in the words in which 
Pharao addressed his people at the time of the 
famine in Egypt: "Go to Joseph" (Gen. xli. 55) if 
you desire consolation. 

* St. Joseph, consoler of afflicted souls, we will go 
to thee in all our trials. 

XXV. 

(It. Teresa said also : " I cannot understand 
how it is possible to think of the Queen of 
Angels without returning thanks to St. 
Joseph for all the services he rendered on earth to 
the Mother and the Son." Let us, then, have re- 
course to St. Teresa that she may obtain for us devo- 
tion to the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. 

* St. Joseph, by thy love for thy favored servant 
St. Teresa, make us ever to grow in devotion to thee. 

XXVI. 

j|Y great protector, St. Joseph, do not disdain to 
take under thy protection the most ungrate- 
ful sinner alive. I beg this of thee for the 
love of thy dearest Jesus, for the love of Mary, thy 
spouse, and for the love of Teresa, whom thou lovest 
so much, and who labored so much on earth to add 



35 2 Exercises for Each Month. 



to thy glory. Enable me to die, like thee, in the 
arms of Jesus and Mary. 

* St. Joseph, be with me in my last agony ! 

XXVII. 

Y Our Lord's grace, there is not at present a 
Christian in the world who is not devout to 
St. Joseph ; but, amongst them all, those re- 
ceive the most abundant graces who recommend 
themselves to him the most frequently and with the 
greatest confidence. 

* St. Joseph, may I always thus invoke thee ! 



XXVIII. 



hen Jesus Christ lived in this world in the 
house of St. Joseph, could a sinner who 
desired to obtain forgiveness of his sins 
from Our Lord have found a more efficacious means 
of obtaining this consolation than through St. 
Joseph ? If, then, we desire to be pardoned by God, 
let us have recourse to St. Joseph, who, now that he 
is in heaven, is more loved by Jesus Christ than he 
was loved by Him on earth. 

* St. Joseph, ever ask of Jesus the pardon of my 
sins. 

XXIX. 

et us ask of St. Joseph love towards Jesus 
Christ; this is the particular grace which St. 
Joseph obtains for those who are devout to 
him — tender love towards the Incarnate Word ; and 
the saint merited this by the tender love which he 
himself bore Him on earth. 

* St. Joseph, make me to love Jesus as He would 
have me love Him. 



Visits to St. Joseph. 



353 



XXX. - 

v holy Patriarch, through the tears which 
thou didst shed in contemplating the future 
Passion of thy Jesus, obtain for me a con- 
tinual and compassionate remembrance of the sor- 
rows of my Redeemer; and through that holy flame 
of love which, in thy colloquies and reflections with 
Mary, was kindled in thy heart, obtain a spark of 
that love for my soul, which, by its sins, has con- 
tributed so much to the sufferings of Jesus. 

* St. Joseph, may the cross of Jesus be ever in my 
mind and in my heart. 




XXXI. 

KV€M! £ snou ld especially be devout to St. Joseph, in 
order that the saint may obtain us a good 
Bgg death. He, on account of having saved the 
Infant Jesus from the snares of Herod, has the special 
privilege of delivering dying persons from the snares 
of the devil. Moreover, on account of the services 
which he rendered for so many years to Jesus and 
Mary, having by his labors provided them a dwelling 
and food, he has the privilege of obtaining the 
special assistance of Jesus and Mary for his devout 
clients at death. It is, also, well known by every 
one that he is the patron of a good death, because 
he had the happiness of dying in the arms of Jesus 
and Mary. Let us, then, often say to him : 

* St. Joseph, obtain for me that, like thee, I may 
die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. 



354 Exercises for Each Month, 



3* praters to obtain tbe IDirtue of 
tbe fIDontb. 

JANUARY.— FAITH. 

St. Teresa says that all sins spring from want of faith. She was 
right, for it is impossible to live estranged from God if we keep con- 
stantly before our eyes the truths of our faith, the greatness of God, 
the love He bears us, the benefits He has bestowed on us, and 
especially the work of our Redemption, the Passion of Jesus Christ, 
and the gift of the Most Holy Sacrament. The same effect is pro- 
duced by frequently meditating on death, judgment, hell, eternity. 
This is why we must frequently renew the spirit of faith in our- 
selves, by calling to mind the eternal maxims. The saints did this, 
and it was thus they won their heavenly crown. 

&ct of jFattj), 

■ Y God, I believe all that the holy Church 
teaches me to believe, because Thou, Who 
art infallible truth, hast revealed it. I believe 
that Thou art the Creator and Lord of heaven and 
earth, Who eternally rewardest the just in paradise 
and chastisest sinners in hell. I believe that Thou 
art one God in essence, but three in person, Father, 
Son, and Holy Ghost: three in person, but one only 
God. I believe that God the Son, the second Per- 
son, in order to save us and redeem us from our 
sins, became man, and died upon the cross. I believe 
that the most holy Virgin Mary was conceived with- 
out sin, that she is truly Mother of God, and that 
she was ever a virgin. I believe that Jesus Christ, 
the third day after His death, rose again by His 
own power, and, after forty days, ascended to 
heaven, where He is seated on the right hand of the 
Eternal Father, equal to Him in majesty and glory. 
I believe that, at the last day, Jesus Christ shall 
come to judge all men who shall then rise from their 
graves. I believe that the Roman Catholic Church 
is the only true Church, out of which there is no re- 
demption. I believe in the communion of the 



Prayers to obtain the Virtue of t lie Month. 35 



saints ; that is to say. that every one of the faithful 
who is in a state of grace participates in the merits 
of all the just. I believe that God remits the sins of 
those who offend Him, so soon as they repent of them. 
I believe in the seven sacraments by means of which 
the grace of Jesus Christ is communicated to us. I 
believe the Ten Commandments of the Decalogue. 
I believe, finally, all that the holy Church believes. I 
thank Thee, O my God, for having made me a Chris- 
tian, and I protest that I desire to live and die in 
this holy faith. 

Wi ^Sorter &tt of ffuify. 

believe all that the Church teaches us to be- 
lieve, because Thou hast revealed all to us. 
Nor do I pretend to comprehend intellectu- 
ally those mysteries which are above my mind ; it is 
enough that Thou hast said so. I pray Thee to in- 
crease Thy faith in me. 

glet of Hobtns jFattf). 

|Y beloved Redeemer, O life of my soul, I firm- 
ly believe that Thou art the only good 
worthv of bein^ loved. I believe that Thou 



art the greatest lover of my soul, since through love 
alone Thou didst die, overwhelmed with sorrows, for 
love of me. I believe there is no greater blessing in 
this world, or in the next, than to love Thee, and to 
do Thy adorable will. All this I believe most firmly ; 
so that I renounce all things, that I may belong 
wholly to Thee, and that I may possess Thee alone. 
Help me through the merits of Thy sacred Passion, 
and make me such as Thou wouldst have me to be. 
I believe in Thee, O infallible Truth ! I trust in Thee, 
O Infinite Mercy! I love Thee, O Infinite Goodness ! 
O Infinite Love,' I give myself wholly to Thee, Who 
hast wholly given Thyself to me in Thy Passion, and 
in the holy Sacrament of the Altar. 



356 Exercises for Each Month. 



And I recommend myself to thee, O Mary, ref- 
uge of sinners and Mother of God. 

JJrawer to tfjanft ^otr for tf)e @a*eat mtt of jFatti)* 

Saviour of the world, I return thanks for my- 
self and for all the faithful, my brethren, for 
having called and admitted me to live in the 
true faith taught by the holy Catholic Church. " My 
God," I will say to you with St. Francis de Sales, 
" great and numberless are the benefits Thou hast 
bestowed on me, and for which I return Thee my 
most heartfelt thanks ; but how can 1 sufficiently 
thank Thee for having enlightened me with the light 
of faith ? O Lord, I tremble when I compare my in- 
gratitude with the greatness of Thy benefits. My 
Lord, I thank Thee, as much as I am able, for this 
great gift of faith, and I pray Thee to make its 
beauties known to all men. 

$ra»er to itf artn 
O Mother of God, increase my faith. 

FEBRUARY.— HOPE. 

Our hope of salvation, and of receiving the means necessary for its 
attainment, must be certain on God's part. The motives on which 
this certainty is founded are the power, th^ mercy, and the truth 
of God ; and of these the strongest and most certain motive is God's 
infallible faithfulness to the promise which He has made to us, 
through the merits of Jesus Christ, to save us, and to give us the 
graces necessary to our salvation. This promise is conditional; it 
depends on our actively corresponding to God's grace and praying. 
He who prays is certainly saved. 

drawer to ofctatn Confidence in tje J&ertts of Jesus 
<&i)rtst antr in tf)e Intercession of ffllavs* 

|ternal Father, I thank Thee for myself, and 
on behalf of all mankind, for the great mercy 
that Thou hast shown us, in sending Thy Son 
to be made man, and to die for our salvation; I thank 



Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month. 357 



Thee for it, and I should wish to offer Thee in 
thanksgiving all that love which is Thy due for con- 
ferring on us such an inestimable benefit. By His 
merits our sins are pardoned, Thy justice having 
been satisfied for the punishment we had deserved ; 
by these merits Thou dost receive us miserable sin- 
ners into Thy grace, while we deserve nothing but 
hatred and chastisement : Thou dost, by these mer- 
its, receive men to reign in paradise. Finally, Thou 
hast bound Thyself, in consideration of these same 
merit s, to grant all gifts and graces to those who ask 
for them in the name of Jesus Christ. I thank Thee 
also, O Infinite Goodness, that, in order to strengthen 
our confidence, besides giving us Jesus Christ as Our 
Redeemer, Thou hast also given us Thy beloved 
daughter Mary as our advocate ; so that, with that 
heart full of mercy which Thou hast given her, she 
may never cease, by her intercession, succoring any 
sinner who may have recourse to her ; and this in- 
tercession is so powerful with Thee that Thou canst 
not deny her any grace which she asks of Thee. 

Hence it is Thy will that we should have a great 
confidence in the merits of Jesus, and in the inter- 
cession of Mary. But this confidence is Thy gift, 
and it is a great gift which Thou dost grant to those 
only who ask Thee for it. This confidence, then, in 
the Blood of Jesus Christ, and in the patronage of 
Mary, I beg of Thee, through the merits of Jesus and 
Mary. 

To Thee, also, my dear Redeemer, do I turn ; it 
was to obtain for me this confidence in Thy merits 
that Thou didst sacrifice Thy life on the cross for 
me, who was only worthy of punishment. Accom- 
plish, then, the end for which Thou didst die ; enable 
me to hope for all things, through confidence in Thy 
Passion. 



35^ Exercises for Each Month. 



3pra#er to i^arg, 

Jnd thou, O Mary, my Mother, and my hope 
after Jesus, obtain for me a firm confidence, 
first in the merits of Jesus, thy Son, and then 
in the help of thy prayers — prayers which are all- 
powerful with God. 



MARCH.— LOVE OF GOD. 

To obtain the great treasure of love of Jesus Christ we must : i. De- 
sire it ardently ; 2. Ask often for it; 3. Make room for it by chasing- 
all inordinate affections from our hearts ; 4. Make frequent acts of 
love ; 5. Meditate assiduously on the Passion of Jesus Christ. Charity 
is the queen of all virtues ; wherever she reigns she draws all other 
virtues along with her, as it were, in her train. 



33ra£or to Sesus (ftfjrtst to ofetattt ffits 3%ol2 2Loi)e* 
OgjjTj] Y crucified Love, my dear Jesus! I believe in 
IMS Thee, and confess Thee to be the true Son 
of God and my Saviour. I adore Thee from 
the abyss of my own nothingness, and I thank Thee 
for the death Thou didst suffer for me that I might 
obtain the life of divine grace. My beloved Re- 
deemer, to Thee I owe all my salvation. Through 
Thee I have hitherto escaped hell ; through Thee 
have I received the pardon of my sins. But I am so 
ungrateful that, instead of loving Thee, I have re- 
peated my offences against Thee. I deserve to be 
condemned, so as not to be able to love Thee any 
more: but no, my Jesus, punish me in any other way, 
but not in this. If I have not loved Thee in time 
past, I love Thee now ; and I desire nothing but to 
love Thee with all my heart. But without Thy help 
I can do nothing. Since Thou dost command me 
to love Thee, give me also the strength to fulfil this 
Thy sweet and loving precept. Thou hast promised 
to grant all that we ask of Thee: "You shall ask 
whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you" 
(John xv. 7). Confiding, then, in this promise, my 



Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month. 359 



dear Jesus, I ask, first of all, pardon of all my sins ; 
and I repent above all things, because I have offended 
Thee, O Infinite Goodness ! I ask for holy persever- 
ance in Thy grace till my death. But, above all, I 
ask for the gift of Thy holy love. Ah, my Jesus, my 

% - Hope, my Love, my All, inflame me with that love 
which Thou didst come on earth to enkindle! Tut 
amoris in me ignem accende. For this end make me 
always live in conformity with Thy holy will. En- 
lighten me that I may understand more and more 
how worthy Thou art of our love, and that I may 
know the immense love Thou hast borne me, espe- 
cially in giving Thy life for me. Grant, then, that I 

* may love Thee with all my heart, and may love Thee 
always, and never cease to beg of Thee the grace to 
love Thee in this life ; that living always, ahd dying 
in Thy love, I may come one day to love Thee with 
all my strength in heaven, never to leave off loving 
Thee for all eternity. 



&ct of Complacent ILobe* 

Jesus, I rejoice that Thou art infinitely 
happy, and that Thy Eternal Father loves 
Thee as Himself. 



^ct of 3Senebolent 2Lobe* 

Y Jesus, would that Thou wert known and 
loved by all the world ! 

0ct of 2Lobe antr preference* 

I love Thee, my Jesus, above all things ; but 
this is little. I love Thee more than myself ; 
I but this is little also. I love Thee with all 
my heart ; and this also is little. My Jesus, hear me, 
give me more love, more love, more love. 



360 



Exercises for Each Month. 



8 Sfjort &ct of perfect SLobe, 

Y God, I love Thee above all things, and in 
all things, with my whole soul, because Thou 
art worthy of all love. 

33ra»er to J$ar»* 

Mother of beautiful love, my advocate and. 
refuge ; Mary, who art of all creatures the 
most beautiful, the most loving, and the most 
beloved of God, and whose only desire it is to see 
Him loved! ah, by the love thou bearest to Jesus 
Christ, pray for me, and obtain for me the grace to 
love Him always and with all my heart! This I ask 
and hope for from thee. Amen. 




APRIL.— CHARITY TO OUR NEIGHBOR. 

He who loves God loves his neighbor also ; but he who loves not 
his neighbor, neither does he love God. In order to practise the 
virtue of charity, we must : i. Love our neighbor as ourself, in heart 
as well as in deed ; 2. Neither judge nor suspect evil of our neighbor, 
without good grounds ; 3. Abstain from the least shadow of detrac- 
tion ; 4. Not repeat to any one the evil that has been said of him by 
another; 5. Not wound our neighbor by saying anything that may 
hurt him ; 6. Avoid disputes ; 7. Speak gently to all, even to our 
inferiors; 8. Render our neighbor any assistance in our power; 
9. Seek to help the souls of our neighbors ; 10. Show charity towards 
the sick, specially when they are poor; n. Pardon our enemies, 
and show them charity ; 12. Pray for sinners and for the souls in 
purgatory. 

JPrager to ofctaut tje Vixtm pi QggrCtg* 

|h, my Redeemer, how unlike am I to Thee ! 
Thou wast all charity towards Thy perse- 
cutors ; I am all rancor and hatred towards 
my neighbors. Thou didst pray with so much love 
for those who crucified Thee; and I immediately 
seek revenge against those who offend me. Pardon 
me, my Jesus; I wish to be no more what I have 
hitherto been ; give me strength to love and to do 
good to all who injure me. Abandon me not, O 



Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month. 361 



Lord, to my passions. Oh, what a hell it would be 
to me if, after having received so many of Thy graces, 
I were again separated from Thee and deprived of 
Thy friendship ! For the sake of the Blood Thou 
hast shed for me, permit not such a separation. 
Eternal Father, through the merits of Thy Son, 
suffer me not to become Thine enemy. O my God, 
look not on my sins, but on Jesus, Thy Son, Who 
has sacrificed His life for my salvation. For the 
sake of Jesus have pity on me, and pardon all my 
offences against Thee, and especially those which I 
have committed by my want of charity to my neigh- 
bor. 

drawer for cur Xttcrpor* 

IfTSSOl v God, I love my neighbor as myself, out of 
S&rofi love for Thee. And because I love my 
neighbor, I recommend to Thee the souls in 
purgatory, my relatives, benefactors, and friends, and 
all those from whom I have received any affront or 
injury ; I pray Thee, shower down upon them every 
blessing. Finally, I recommend to Thee infidels, 
heretics, and all those who are in a state of sin. 
Since Thou, my God, art worthy of infinite love, 
make Thyself known and loved by all ; but especially 
by me, who have been most ungrateful to Thee. I 
have offended Thee enough ; make me love Thee 
exceedingly, and take me to heaven, where I shall 
sing Thy mercies to all eternity. 



$ra»er to i&ar». 

Mother of mercy, thou art full of charity to 
all ; forget not my miseries ; thou seest them 
full well. Recommend me to God, Who de- 
nies Thee nothing. Obtain for me the grace of 
imitating thy holy charity both towards God and my 
neighbor. 



362 



Exercises for Each Month. 



MAY.— DETACHMENT. 

There are some persons who wish to become saints, but only after 
their own fashion ; they would love Jesus Christ in their own way, 
without giving up their diversions, their vanity in dress, their deli- 
cacies in their food : they love God, but if they do not succeed in 
obtaining such or such an office, they live discontented ; if, too, they 
happen to have a word said against them, they are all on fire ; if 
they do not recover from some illness, they are all impatience. They 
love God ; but, all the same, they remain attached to the riches or 
honors of the world, to the vainglory of passing for being well-born, 
learned, or better than others. Such persons practise prayer, and 
frequent holy Communion ; but, inasmuch as they take to these 
exercises hearts filled with earthly affections, they derive but little 
profit from them. Our Lord does not even speak to them, for He 
knows that it is but a waste of words. 



Stager to attain IBetatfymmt from IBaxfyfy 
Affections* 

■ H, that all men loved Thee, my Jesus, Who 
art so worthy of love ! But, my poor Lord, 

— give me leave thus to call Thee, — Thou art 

altogether lovely, and hast done and suffered so 
much in order to be loved by men ; yet how many 
are there who really love Thee ? I see almost all 
men applying themselves to loving parents, friends, 
wealth, honors, pleasures, and even dumb animals ; 
but how many are there that love Thee, O Infinite 
Loveliness ? O God, too few, indeed, are they ; yet 
amongst these few I wish to be found. I am a 
miserable sinner, who at one time also offended Thee 
by loving creatures, and going astray from Thee. 
But now I love Thee, and I prize Thee above every 
good : and Thee only do I wish to love. 



Another JPrager for obtaining Wttutfyttimt from 
ISaxtijiv e&ootrs, 

|y Jesus, if hitherto my heart has been attached 
to the goods of the earth, Thou shalt hence- 
forth be my only treasure. O God of my 



soul! Thou art infinitely more precious than any 



Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month, 363 



other possession. Thou dost merit infinite love ; I 
esteem and love Thee above all things, and even 
more than myself ; Thou art the only object of all my 
thoughts. I desire nothing that is in this world. If 
I had any desire, it would be to possess the treasures 
and kingdoms of the earth for the sole purpose of 
renouncing them aft, and depriving myself of them 
out of love for Thee. Come, O my Love, come and 
consume in me every affection which is not for Thee. 

33rai)cr to ofctam jDctacJjmcnt front 35&forI&Ii> 
ISsteem* 

ir^jTjlY Jesus, grant me the desire of pleasing Thee, 
fg^ji and make me forget all creatures and also 
myself. What will it profit me to be loved 
by the whole world if I be not loved by Thee, the 
only love of my soul ! My Jesus, Thou earnest into 
the world to win our hearts ; if I am unable to give 
Thee my heart, do Thou please to take it, and re- 
plenish it with Thy love, never allowing me to be 
separated from Thee any more. This is all my am- 
bition ; accept of it, and be pleased to increase it, 
and take away from me all desire of earthly goods. 
Thou art indeed deserving of love, and great indeed 
is my obligation of loving Thee. Behold me, then, 
I wish to be wholly Thine ; and I will suffer what- 
ever Thou pleasest, Thou Who for love of me didst 
die of sorrow on a cross ! 

XBvuvtv to obtain 23etacj&mnu from pleasures* 

my Jesus ! Thou wert so desirous of suffering 
for my sake that Thou wouldst even endure 
Thy sufferings before the appointed time; 
and yet I am so greedy for the pleasures of the 
world. How many times have I offended Thee in 
order to please my body ! O my Lord ! through the 




3^4 



Exercises for Each Month. 



merits of Thy sufferings take away from me, I beseech 
Thee, all affection for earthly pleasures. Out of 
love for Thee I desire to abstain from the satisfac- 
tion of [name it]. 

3$xdL%zx to fHarw* 

Jh, my most holy Mother,»thou hadst indeed 
reason to say that in God was thy joy : " And 
my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour" 
(Luke i. 19) ; for in this world thou didst desire and 
love naught but God. " Draw me after thee" (Cant, 
i. 3). O Lady, detach me from the w r orld, that I may 
love Him alone Who alone deserves to be loved. 
Amen. 

JUNE.— PURITY. 

1. Avoid idleness, dissipated companions, immodest conversations, 
and, more than all, occasions of sin, especially where there is danger 
to purity ; and for this reason you cannot be too cautious in keeping 
your eyes from dwelling on any dangerous object. For a person 
that does not avoid the voluntary occasions of sin, especially those 
which have frequently proved fatal to his innocence, it is morally 
impossible to persevere in the grace of God. 

2. There are two remedies against temptations : resignation and 
prayer. Resignation, for though temptations do not come from God, 
yet He permits them for our good. Wherefore, beware of yielding 
to vexation, however annoying the temptations may be ; be resigned 
to the will of God, Who allows them ; and take up the arms of prayer, 
which are the most powerful and the most certain of overcoming our 
enemies. Bad thoughts, however filthy and abominable, are not sins ; 
it is only the consenting to them which makes them a sin. We shall 
never be overcome so long as we call on the holy names of Jesus and 
Mary. During the assaults of temptation, it is most useful to renew 
our resolution of suffering death rather than offend God ; it is also a 
good practice repeatedly to sign ourselves with the sign of the cross, 
and with holy water ; it is of great help, too, to reveal the temptation 
to the confessor. But prayer is the best remedy of all, accompanied 
by continual cries for help to Jesus and Mary. 



3Pra#er to obtain ^urttg of ffltuvU 

Saviour of the world! O my only Hope! 
by the merits of Thy Passion, deliver me from 
every impure desire which may hinder me 
from loving Thee as I ought. May I be stripped of 




Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month. 365 



all desires that savor of the world ; grant that the 
only object of my desires may be Thyself, Who art 
the Sovereign Good and the only good that is worthy 
of love. By Thy sacred wounds heal my infirmities ; 
give me grace to keep far from my heart every love 
which is not for Thee, Who deservest all my love. 
O Jesus, my Love ! Thou art my hope. O sweet 
words ! sweet consolation ! Jesus, my Love, Thou 
art my hope ! 



3praj>er to ofitam jpitrttg of x^t 2$otr£* 

adorable Saviour, in expiation of our sins, 
and specially those of impurity, Thou didst 
— I vouchsafe to have Thy most pure Flesh torn 
in pieces. Ah! my Lord, smitten with the scourge, 
I return Thee thanks for such great love, and I grieve 
that I am myself, by reason of my sins, one of those 
who scourge Thee. O my Jesus ! I detest all those 
wicked pleasures which have cost Thee so much 
pain. Oh, how many years ought I not already to 
have been in the flames of hell ! And why hast Thou 
so patiently awaited me till now? Thou hast borne 
with me in order that at length, overcome by so many 
wiles of love, I might give myself up to love Thee, 
abandoning sin. O my beloved Redeemer ! I will 
offer no further resistance to Thy loving affection ; I 
desire to love Thee henceforth to the uttermost of 
my power. But Thou already knowest my weakness ; 
Thou knowest how often I have betrayed Thee. Do 
Thou detach me from all earthly affections which 
hinder me from being all Thine own. Remind me 
frequently of the love which Thou hast borne me, 
and of the obligation I am under of loving Thee. In 
Thee I place all my hopes, my God, my Love, my AIL 



366 Exercises for Each Month. 



3®vavtv to i$ar£* 



Mary, O most pure Dove, how many are now 



in hell on account of the vice of impurity ! 



1^™^ ! Sovereign Lady, obtain for us the grace 
always to have recourse to thee in our temptations, 
and always to invoke thee, saying, " Mary, Mary, 
help me." 



The reason that so few persons are wholly given to God is because 
few are thoroughly obedient. There are some persons so fondly 
attached to their own opinion that, although a thing enjoined on them 
be in accordance with their own inclination, yet, from the very fact 
that it is enjoined, they lose all fancy for it ; they find no relish in 
anything but in following the dictates of their individual will. How 
different is the conduct of saints ! their only happiness flows from 
the execution of what obedience imposes upon them. St. Philip Neri 
says : " Let those who are desirous of progressing in the way of God 
submit themselves to a prudent confessor, whom they should obey as 
in God's place. By so doing we are certain of not having to render 
an account to God of the actions we perform." He said, moreover, 
" that we must place faith in the confessor, because the Lord will not 
permit him to err ; that nothing is so sure to preserve us from the 
snares of the devil as doing the will of others in the performance of 
good ; and that there is nothing more dangerous than to wish to 
direct ourselves according to our private fancy." 



$romtse of jFttreltt» to Jesus, our Emg> 
|h, my adorable Jesus, I acknowledge Thee for 



my King and my God, and I protest that I 



ls===l wish for no other king in my heart than 
Thee, my Redeemer. Unhappy me ! In the past I 
have yielded to the domination of my passions, and 
have banished Thee, my divine King, from my soul. 
I now wish that Thou alone shouldst reign in my 
heart; that Thou shouldst command, and I obey. 
I will say to Thee with St. Teresa : " O Lover, Who 
lovest me more than I am able to conceive, grant 
that my soul may serve Thee more in conformity 
with Thy pleasure than with its own. May self die 
in me, and may another live in me, May He live 




JULY.— OBEDIENCE. 




Prayers to obtaiti the Virtue of the Month. 367 



and give me life. May He reign, and may I be His 
slave. May my soul wish for no other liberty." Oh! 
happy the soul who can truly say: " My Jesus, Thou 
art my only King, my only Good, my only Love." 

JBrapcr to fro alujaus tog at e^otr bulls, 

H, my God ! have mercy on me. I know that by 
committing sin I condemned myself to an 
eternity of torments ; and yet I have resisted 



Thy will and incurred this punishment. Ah, my 
Lord ! pardon me ; I am sorry for my sins from the 
bottom of my heart. I do not wish ever more to 
oppose Thy holy will. How miserable should I now 
be. hadst Thou taken me out of life during my 
career of sin ! I should at this moment be con- 
demned to remain forever in hell, to hate Thy will. 
But now I love it. and wish forever to love it. Teach 
me and give me strength henceforth to do Thy 
will. I will no longer resist Thee, O Infinite Good- 
ness. This grace only do I ask, that Thy will may be 
done on earth as it is in heaven. Enable me to do 
Thy will perfectly; and I ask nothing more. And 
what, O my God, dost Thou desire but my welfare 
and my salvation ? Ah, eternal Father ! hear my 
prayer, for the love of Jesus Christ, Who has taught 
me to pray continually to Thee. In His Name, I ask 
this grace : Thy will be done, Thy will be done. Hap- 
py me if I spend the remainder of my life doing Thy 
will, and if I end my days therein. O Mary, happy 
thou, who hast always done the will of God perfectly ! 
obtain for me, through thy intercession, the grace to 
do His will during the remainder of my life. 

€0 $rsus, ©fcetnrnt to ^t. SoscpJ, 

MY dear Jesus, Who, to atone for my disobe- 
dience, didst wish to humble Thyself so far 
as to obey a man, ah, through the merits of 
that obedience which Thou hast shown on earth to 



368 



Exercises for Each Month. 



Joseph, give me grace henceforth to obey all Thy 
wishes ; and through the love which Thou hast 
borne to Joseph, and which he bore to Thee, grant 
me a great love of Thee, Infinite Goodness, Who 
dost deserve the love of my whole heart ; forget my 
offences against Thee, and have mercy on me. I 
love Thee, O my Love ; I love Thee, O my God ; I 
wish always to love Thee. 



before tje Crucififr* 

crucified Redeemer, O King of love ! With 
humility and tenderness do I draw near to 
kiss Thy sacred feet, transfixed for love of 
me; clasp in my arms this cross, on which Thou, 
being made a Victim of love, wast willing to offer Thy- 
self in sacrifice for me to the divine justice : " being 
made obedient unto death, the death of the cross" 
(Phil. ii. 8). O blessed obedience which obtained 
for us the pardon of our sins ! And what would 
have become of me, O my Saviour, hadst Thou not 
paid the penalty for me ! I thank Thee, O my Love, 
and by the merits of this sublime obedience do I 
pray Thee to grant me the grace of obedience in 
everything to the divine will. 



Y God, through my director do Thou make 
known to me Thy will. I now purpose, and 
hope, with the assistance of Thy grace, to 
fulfil Thy will in all things. 

gtfter (ftontasum attir in 2Ttme of Scruples* 

^ Y Jesus, I will obey Thy representative; and 
thus I hope, by the virtue of Thy Blood, to 
save my - soul and be never separated from 

Thee, 




Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month, 369 



JSrawrr to iSarp* 

* Queen and my Mother! do thou pray to 
Jesus for me. and. by the merit of thine obe- 
dience, obtain me the grace of being faith- 
ful in obeying the divine will and the commands of 
my spiritual director. 



AUGUST.— HUMILITY. 

Without humility we cannot please God : " God resisteth the proud, 
and giveth grace to the humble'' (James \v. 6). Humility of spirit 
consists in looking- on ourselves as miserable sinners, which we in- 
deed are. Hence: i. Let us always distrust ourselves. 2. Let us not 
glorify ourselves about anything ; let us even avoid speaking of our- 
selves. 3. Let us not be impatient with ourselves after a fall, but 
let us rise up from it. counting on God's help not to fall again. 4. 
Let us be compassionate to others who fall. 5. Let us look on our- 
selves as the greatest sinners on earth, since we have received so 
many graces and profited so little by them. — Humility of heart re- 
quires that we should take pleasure in being despised by others. 
Hence: 1. Let us receive reproofs quietly, and thank whoever cor- 
rects us. 2. When we receive some affront, let us bear it with patience, 
and love those who slight us. How many slights and insults did not 
Jesus Christ suffer for~ us 1 

drawer to ofitaw J^umtltto. 

MY most humble Jesus, Who. for the love of 
me. didst humble Thyself and become obe- 
dient unto the death of the cross, how have 
I the courage to appear before Thee, and call myself 
Thy follower! for I see myself to be such a sinner, 
and so proud that I cannot bear a single slight with- 
out resenting it. Whence can come such pride in 
me, who for my sins have so many times deserved to 
be cast forever into hell with the devils ? Ah, my 
despised Jesus, help me and make me like unto 
Thee, I will change my life. Thou, for love of me, 
hast borne so much contempt; I, for love of Thee, 
will bear every slight. Thou. O my Redeemer! hast 
rendered contempt both desirable and honorable, 
since Thou didst embrace it with so much love 
during Thine own life. " Far be it from me to glory 



37o 



Exercises for Each Month. 



but in the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ" (Gal. vi. 
14). 

O my most humble mistress Mary, Mother of 
God ! thou who in all, and especially in suffering, didst 
most resemble thy Son, obtain for me the grace of 
bearing in peace all slights which henceforward shall 
be offered to me. Amen. 

drawer to f&ars* 

|y Queen, I can never be really thy child unless 
I am humble ; but dost thou not see that my 
sins, after having rendered me ungrateful to 



my Lord, have also made me proud ? O my Mother, 
do thou supply a remedy. By the merit of thy 
humility, obtain that I may be truly humble and 
thus become thy child. Amen. 

SEPTEMBER.— MORTIFICATION. 

By interior mortification we study to conquer our passions, and 
especially our most predominant one. A person who does not over- 
come his predominant passion is in great danger of being lost. — Ex- 
terior mortification has to do with refusing to the senses those satis- 
factions which they ask of us. We must therefore mortify : i. The 
eyes, by abstaining from looking at any object that can give occasion 
to temptation. 2. The tongue, by abstaining from words of detrac- 
tion, abuse, or impurity. 3. The taste, by not eating or drinking too 
much, and also by fasting and abstaining at certain times. 4. Thf 
hearing, by avoiding listening to immodest and scandalous conversa- 
tions. 5. The touch, by using all possible caution in regard to our*, 
selves and to others. 

Eraser to astt for ti)t Spirit of i^ortttfcatCou, 

Y beloved Redeemer, I blush to appear before 
Thee with so many attachments to earthly 
pleasures. During Thy life Thou didst think 
of nothing but suffering for me ; but, forgetful of 
Thy pains and of Thy love for me, I have hitherto 
attended only to my own gratification. My Jesus, 
grant me the gift of Thy love, which will make 
me accept all pains and insults in order to please 
Thee. Give me strength to deny myself all things 



Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month. 371 



which are not pleasing to Thee, and to accept all 
things which are disagreeable to self-love, such as 
sorrows, persecutions, loss of relatives, of health, of 
self-esteem, and all other crosses which shall come 
from Thee. I now accept all from Thy hand : I ac- 
cept all the troubles of my life, and especially the 
pains of my death. Grant that I may live only to 
please Thee ; and that at death I may sacrifice my 
life to Thee, with all the affection of my soul. I love 
Thee, O my Sovereign Good, and I hope always to 
love Thee. 

J9ra»er to ir&ars* 

love thee, O Mother of Jesus ! who by thy in- 
tercession hast obtained for me time for re- 
pentance. 

OCTOBER.— RECOLLECTION. 

Many persons who desire to separate themselves from creatures, 
and to converse with God alone, cannot go to live in deserts, as they 
would wish ; but deserts and caves are not necessary in order to en- 
joy the solitude of the heart. Those who, from necessity, are obliged 
to converse with the world, whenever their hearts are free from world- 
ly attachments, even in the public streets, in places of resort, and 
public assemblies, can possess solitude of heart, and continue united 
with God. All occupations which we undertake in order to fulfil the 
divine will have no power to interfere with the solitude of the heart. 

drawer to ofctatti Skecoliectcirtuss, 

my Jesus ! I have loved solitude but little, be- 
cause I have loved Thee but little. I have 
gone about seeking pleasures and consola- 
tion from creatures who have made me lose Thee, 
the Infinite Good. Miserable I am, that for so many 
years I have kept my heart distracted, thinking only 
of the good things of earth, and forgetting Thee. 
Oh, accept Thou this heart of mine, since Thou hast 
bought it with Thy Blood ; inflame it with Thy love, 
and take possession of it for Thine own. O Mary, 
Queen of heaven ! thou canst obtain for me this 
grace ; from thee I hope for it, 



372 



Exercises for Each Month, 



Jost holy Virgin, do Thou obtain us affection 
for prayer and retirement, that, detaching 
ourselves from the love of creatures, we may 
aspire only after God and heaven, where we hope 
one day to see thee, to praise thee, and to love thee, 
together with Jesus, thy Son, forever and ever. 
Amen. 



NOVEMBER.— LOVE OF PRAYER. 

" We ought always to pray" (Luke xviii. i). " Ask, and you shall 
receive" (Matt. vii. 7). "Amen, amen, I say to you : If you ask the 
Father anything 'in My Name, He will give it to you" (John xvi. 23). 
He who prays is certainly saved ; he who does not pray is certainly 
lost. All the elect are saved by prayer ; all the damned are lost by 
neglect of prayer, and their greatest despair is, and will be, forever 
caused by the conviction that they had had it in their power to save 
their souls so easily by prayer, and that now the time of salvation is 
no more. 

Eraser to ofotam tl)e <&mtz of ^xu^uxq 
j|l^||H, my Redeemer ! how have I been able hitherto 
WMM to live in such forgetfulness of Thee ? Thou 
wast prepared to grant me all the graces that 
I should ask of Thee ; Thou didst only wait for me 
to ask them. But I have thought only of indulging 
my senses, and have been indifferent about the priva- 
tion and loss of Thy love and of Thy graces. Lord ! 
forget all my ingratitude, and have mercy on me ; 
give me the grace always to ask Thine aid to avoid 
offending Thee. O God of my soul ! do not permit 
me to be as I have hitherto been, negligent in the 
performance of this duty. Grant me light and 
strength always to recommend myself to Thee, and 
particularly when my enemies tempt me to offend 
Thee again. Grant, O my God ! this grace through 
the merits of Jesus Christ, and through the love 
which Thou bearest to Him. O Lord ! I have of- 
fended Thee enough. I wish to love Thee during 
the remainder of my life. Give me Thy love, and 



Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month. 373 



may this love remind me to ask Thine aid whenever 
I am in danger of losing Thee by sin. 

JPrawn* to ofctam jFttrelttw tit making i&etrttattott, 

ardon me, O my God, my slothfulness ; what 
treasures of grace have I lost by so often 
neglecting to meditate ! For the future give 



me grace to be faithful through life in conversing 
with Thee, with Whom I hope to converse forever 
in heaven. I do not ask Thee to refresh me here 
with Thy consolations ; I do not deserve it ; it is 
enough that Thou dost suffer me to approach Thy 
feet and recommend to Thee my poor soul, which is 
thus miserable because it has separated itself from 
Thee. At Thy feet, then, O my crucified Jesus ! the 
sole memory of Thy Passion shall keep me detached 
from earth, and united to Thee. O holy Virgin 
Mary ! aid me with thy prayers. 

drawer to J&arg* 
ary, my hope after Jesus ! through thy inter- 
cession I hope for the grace to recommend 
myself in all my temptations to thee and to 



thy Son. Hear me, O my Queen ! through the love 
which thou bearest to Jesus Christ. 

DECEMBER.— PATIENCE. 

It is by patience that we gain heaven. This earth is a place where 
we can gain merit; therefore it is not a place of rest, but of labors 
and sufferings. Sorrows, contradictions, and all other tribulations, 
when accepted with patience, become the brightest jewels in our 
heavenly crown. Let us practise patience: i. When death takes from 
us our relatives and friends ; 2. In poverty ; 3. In contempt and per- 
secution ; 4. In spiritual desolations ; 5. In temptations ; 6. In sick- 
ness. Compliance with the divine will, by accepting death, is suffi- 
cient to insure eternal salvation. 

drawer for ^atmxct. 
Lord, I am fully persuaded that without suf- 
fering, and suffering patiently, I cannot win 
the crown of paradise. David said : " From 



Him is my patience" (Ps. lxi. 6), And I say the same ; 



374 Exercises for Each Month. 



my patience in suffering must come from Thee. I 
make resolutions to accept all tribulations in peace ; 
but no sooner are they at hand than I grow sad and 
alarmed ; and if I suffer, I suffer without merit and 
without love, because I know not how to suffer in a 
manner pleasing Thee. O my Jesus, through the 
merits of Thy patience in bearing so many afflictions 
for love of me, grant me the grace to bear crosses 
for the love of Thee ! I love Thee with my whole 
heart, O my dear Redeemer ! I love Thee, my 
Sovereign Good ! I love Thee, my own Love, worthy 
of infinite love. I am grieved at any displeasure 1 
have ever caused Thee, more than for any evil what- 
ever. I promise Thee to receive with patience all 
the trials Thou mayest send me ; but I look to Thee 
for help in being faithful to my promise, and espe- 
cially in being enabled to bear resignedly the throes 
of my last agony, and my death. 

O Mary, my Queen, vouchsafe to obtain for me a 
true resignation in all the anguish and trials that 
await me in life and in death. 



^ct of 3&estfirrattott* 

|*||||ehold, O my God ! my heart is ready ; behold 
9 me prepared for every cross that Thou givest 

MSM me to endure. No, I desire not delights or 
pleasures in this life ; he who has offended Thee and 
has deserved hell deserves not favors. I am ready 
to suffer all the infirmities and adversities that Thou 
sendest me; I am ready to accept all the slights of 
men ; I am content if it pleaseth Thee to deprive me 
of all bodily and spiritual consolations ; it is enough 
that Thou dost not deprive me of Thyself, and of the 
eternal love of Thee. 



First Friday of the Month. 



375 



draper to i&zvy}. 

H, my most sweet Lady, thou who wast inno 
cent didst suffer with patience ; and shall I, 
who deserve hell, refuse to suffer ? My 
Mother, I now ask Thee this favor — not, indeed, to 
be delivered from crosses, but to bear them with 
patience. For the love of Jesus, I entreat thee to 
obtain at least this grace for me from God ; from 
thee do I hope for it with confidence. 



4. Gbe first jfrtoai? of tbe Hfcontb, 
Consecrated to tbe Sacreo Ibeart. 

Every Christian who desires to have the blessings of the Heart of 
Jesus during his life and, above all, at the hour of death, will sanctify 
the first Friday of every month by approaching- the Holy Table and 
making an Act of Reparation to the Blessed Sacrament, and also by 
reciting some consecration and prayer to the Sacred Heart (see Part 
IV, Section 2. § 5, p. 484). 

*£Se SLitanv of tfje .SacreiJ ?§eart* 

ilORD, have mercy on us. 
Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
God the Father of heaven, 
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, 
God the Holy Ghost, 
Holy Trinity, one God, 

Heart of Jesus, hypostatically united to the 

Eternal Word, 
Heart of Jesus, sanctuary of the Divinity, and 

tabernacle of the Most Holy Trinity, 
Heart of Jesus, abyss of wisdom, 
Heart of Jesus, ocean of goodness, 



376 



Exercises for Each Month, 



Heart of Jesus, throne of mercy, 
Heart of Jesus, treasure inexhaustible, 
Heart of Jesus, of whose fulness we have all 
received, 

Heart of Jesus, our peace and our atonement, 

Heart of Jesus, model of all virtues, 

Heart of Jesus, infinitely loving and infinitely 
worthy of love, 

Heart of Jesus, fountain of water springing up 
into everlasting life, 

Heart of Jesus, in which the Father is well 
pleased, 

Heart of Jesus, the propitiation for our sins, 
Heart of Jesus, filled with bitterness for our 
sakes, 

Heart of Jesus, sorrowful in the Garden, even 

unto death, 

Heart of Jesus, saturated with revilings, 
Heart of Jesus, wounded with love, 
Heart of Jesus, pierced with a lance, 
Heart of Jesus, exhausted of Thy Blood upon 

the cross, 

Heart of Jesus, bruised for our sins, 
Heart of Jesus, still outraged by ungrateful 

men in the Most Holy Sacrament of love, 
Heart of Jesus, refuge of sinners, 
Heart of Jesus, strength of the weak, 
Heart of Jesus, comfort of the afflicted, 
Heart of Jesus, salvation of them that hope in 

Thee, 

Heart of Jesus, hope of them that die in Thee, 
Heart of Jesus, sweet support of those who 

worship Thee, 

Heart of Jesus, our helper in our many and 

great tribulations, 

Heart of Jesus, delight of all the saints, 
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 
Spare us, Lord 7 



The Twenty-fifth Day of Each Month. 377 



Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 
Graciously hear us, Lord ! 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world, 
Have mercy on us. 
Christ, hear us. 
Christ, graciously hear us. 
V. Jesus, Who art meek and humble of heart, 
R. Make our heart like unto Thy heart. 

Let us Pray. 

j]ORD Jesus, Who, by a fresh effect of Thy grace, 
hast vouchsafed to open to Thy Church the 
ineffable riches of Thy heart, grant that we 
may render love for love to that adorable Heart, and 
by worthy homage make reparation for the outrages 
inflicted on It through the ingratitude of men. We 
ask this of Thee Who liveth and reigneth world 
without end. Amen. 



5, £be Gwent\>*ffftb £)a£ of eacb 
flbontb, Consecrated to tbe 
Unfant Jesus/ 

Cfje Btejjs of <Sur ^abtotir's Cjnltrfjooti, 

An excellent Devotion for Advent and until Epiphany. 

dearest Infant Jesus, from the bosom of the 
Father descending for our salvation, con- 
ceived of the Holy Ghost, abhorring not the 
Virgin's womb, Word made flesh, receiving the form 
of a slave ; have mercv on us. 



1 St. Alphonsus all his life had a most tender devotion to the Sacred 
Infancy of Jesus. He sought to propagate it by every means in his 
power, looking on this devotion as an efficacious means for inspiring 



37 8 Exercises for Each Month. 



R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

II. O dearest Infant Jesus, with Thy Virgin 
Mother visiting Elizabeth, filling John the Baptist, 
Thy forerunner, with the Holy Ghost, and sanctify- 
ing him while yet in his mother's womb; have mer- 
cy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

III. O dearest Infant Jesus, nine months impris- 
oned in the womb, anxiously expected by the Virgin 
Mary and St. Joseph, and by God the Father offered 
for the world's salvation; have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

IV. O dearest Infant Jesus, born in Bethlehem of 
the Virgin Mary, wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and 
laid in the manger, heralded by angels, and visited 
by shepherds ; have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

V. O dearest Infant Jesus, after eight days wound- 
ed in Thy circumcision, called by the glorious name 
of Jesus, and thus foreshadowing both by name and 
blood a Saviour's office ; have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

VI. O dearest Infant Jesus, revealed to the three 
wise men by a star, adored by them on Thy Mother's 
bosom, and presented with mystical gifts of gold, 
frankincense, and myrrh ; have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

VII. O dearest Infant Jesus, presented in the tem- 
ple by the Virgin Mother, caressed in the arms of 
Simeon, and by Anna the prophetess made known 
to Israel ; have mercy on us. 



divine love in souls. To this end he composed various discourses 
and meditations of heavenly unction. Not finding - it sufficient to 
draw the attention of the faithful to the Infant Jesus during- Advent 
and the Octave of Christmas, he wished that that sweet mystery of 
the Divine Childhood should be celebrated on the 25th of each month. 
We therefore enter into the holy Doctor's spirit by here placing suit- 
able prayers for each 25th day of the month, and we have tried to 
select such as harmonize with the Virtue proposed for each month. 



The Twenty-fifth Day of Each Month, 379 



R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

VIII. O dearest Infant Jesus, sought for by wicked 
Herod to be put to death, carried by St. Joseph 
with Thy Mother into Egypt, rescued from the cruel 
slaughter, and glorified by the fame of the martyred 
innocents ; have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

IX. O dearest Infant Jesus, in Egypt remaining 
with most holy Mary and the holy patriarch Joseph, 
until the death of Herod ; -have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

X. O dearest Infant Jesus, returning back from 
Egypt to the land of Israel, wearied by many labors 
in the way, and retiring into the city of Nazareth to 
dwell there ; have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

XI. O dearest Infant Jesus, obediently remaining 
in the holy house of Nazareth, there dwelling piously 
with Thy parents, and rapidly advancing in wisdom, 
age, and grace ; have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 

XII. O. dearest Infant Jesus, led to Jerusalem at 
the age of twelve, there sought by Thy parents with 
great sorrow, but after three days found with joy 
among the Doctors ; have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy on us, Infant Jesus. 
V. The Word was made flesh. 
R. And dwelt among us. 



lmighty and everlasting God, Lord of heaven 



and earth, Who revealest Thyself- to the 



™*«8 humble ; grant, we beseech Thee, that, com- 
memorating with due honor, and following with 
worthy imitation, these most sacred mysteries of 
Thy Son, the Infant Jesus, we may happily arrive at 
that heavenly kingdom which Thou hast promised 



Prayer. 




3 8o 



Exercises for Each Month. 



.to Thy little ones ; through the same Jesus Christ 
Our Lord. Amen. 

Sanitary 25tJ), 
TO JESUS, OBJECT OF OUR FAITH. 

O holy faith, unfold to us Who Jesus Christ is, Who this Man is 
Who appears as insignificant as the rest of men. St. John assures us 
that He is the Eternal Word, the only-begotten Son of God: "The 
Word was made flesh" (John i. 14)'. 

my amiable and sweet Infant ! although I be- 
hold Thee so poor and lying on straw, yet I 
confess and adore Thee as my Lord and 
Creator. I know what reduced Thee to so miserable 
a state ; it was the love that Thou didst bear me. But 
when I remember, O my Jesus ! how I have treated 
Thee in times past, my offences against Thee, I 
wonder in myself how Thou hast borne with me. 
Accursed sins, oh, what have you done! You have 
made me cause bitterness to the Heart of my beloved 
Saviour. O my dearest Redeemer, for the sake of 
the sufferings Thou didst endure and the tears Thou 
didst shed in the stable of Bethlehem, give me tears, 
give me a great sorrow, that may make me all my 
life long lament the displeasure I have caused Thee. 
Grant me love for Thee, but such love as may com- 
pensate for the offences I have committed against 
Thee. I love Thee, my Infant Saviour, my Infant 
God ; I love Thee, my Life, my Love, my All ; I 
promise Thee from this day forth to love none but 
Thee. Do Thou help me by Thy grace, without 
which Lean do nothing. Mary, my hope, thou dost 
obtain whatever thou wiliest from thy Son ; obtain 
for me His holy love. My Mother, hear me ! 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 



The Twenty-fifth Day of Each Month. 38 1 



T JESUS, OUR HOPE. 

In Jesus we find all that we can desire ; we find light, strength, 
peace, confidence, love, and eternal glory ; for Jesus Christ is a gift 
containing- all the gifts that we can seek or desire. 

^ v Jesus, I should indeed do great injustice to 
Thy mercy and Thy love if. after Thou hast 
— given me so many proofs of the love Thou 
bearest me, and the desire Thou hast of saving me. I 
should still distrust Thy mercy and Thy love. My 
beloved Redeemer, I am a poor sinner ; but Thou 
hast said that Thou, didst come to seek sinners : " I 
am not come to call the just, but sinners" (Matt. ix. 
13). I am a poor, infirm creature. Thou earnest 
to cure the infirm, and Thou didst say, " They that 
are whole need not the physician, but they that are 
sick" (Luke v. 31). I was lost through my sins; 
but Thou didst come to save the lost : " The Son of 
man is come to save that which is lost" (Matt, xviii. 
1 1). What, then, can I fear if I am willing to amend my 
life and to become Thine? I have only myself and 
my own weakness to fear ; but my own weakness 
and poverty ought to increase my confidence in 
Thee, Who hast declared Thyself to be the refuge of 
the destitute : " The Lord is become a refuge for the 
poor" (Ps. ix. 10). And Thou hast promised to 
grant their desires : " The Lord hath heard the de- 
sire of the poor" (Ps. x. 17). Therefore I implore 
this favor of Thee. O my Jesus: give me confidence 
in Thy merits, and grant that I may always recom- 
mend myself to God through Thy merits. Eternal 
Father, for the love of Jesus Christ, save me from 
hell, and first from sin ; for the merits of this Thy 
Son, enlighten my mind to obey Thy will ; give me 
strength against temptations ; grant me the gift of 
Thy holy love; and, above all, I beseech Thee to 
give me the grace of praying to Thee to help me, for 



382 



Exercises for Each Month. 



the love of Jesus Christ. He has promised that 
Thou wilt grant to him who prays in His Name 
whatever he asks of Thee. If I continue to pray 
to Thee in this way, I shall certainly be saved ; 
but if I neglect so doing, I shall certainly be lost. 
Most holy Mary, obtain for me this great gift of 
prayer, and also that I may persevere in recommend- 
ing myself constantly to God, and also to thee, who 
dost obtain from God whatever thou wiliest. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page, 377. 

TO JESUS, KING OF LOVE. 

The Son of God wished to present Himself under the form of a 
sweet little child, that thus He might the more readily and the more 
forcibly draw to Himself the love of man. Little children of them- 
selves are loved at once, and to see them and to love them is the same 
thing. With this view the Eternal Word chose first to be seen 
among men as an infant, that He might conciliate to Himself the love 
of all mankind. 

Divine Word, become man for me, though 
I behold Thee thus humbled and become a 
little Infant, yet I confess and acknowledge 
Thee for my Lord and King, but a King of love. My 
dearest Saviour, since Thou hast come down upon 
earth and clothed Thyself with our miserable flesh in 
order to reign over our hearts, I beseech Thee come 
and establish Thy reign in my heart also, which was 
once, alas ! ruled over by Thine enemies, but is now, 
I hope, Thine, as I desire that it may be always 
Thine, and that from this day forth Thou mayest be 
its only Lord. Other kings reign by the strength of 
arms, but Thou comest to reign by the power of 
love ; and therefore Thou dost not come with regal 
pomp, nor clothed in purple and gold, nor adorned 
with sceptre and crown, nor surrounded by armies 
of soldiers. Thou wast born in a stable — poor and 




The Twenty-fifth Day of Each Month. 



383 



forsaken ; Thou wast placed in a manger on a little 
straw, because thus Thou wouldst begin to reign in 
our hearts. Ah, my Infant King, how could I so 
often rebel against Thee, and live so long Thine 
enemy! O Jesus, my King, Who art so amiable and so 
loving to our souls, take possession, I pray Thee, of 
mine; I give it entirely to Thee : accept it, that it 
may serve Thee forever, but serve Thee only for 
love. Thy majesty deserves to be feared, but Thy 
goodness still more deserves to be loved. Thou art 
my King, and Thou shalt be always the only object 
of my love. O Mary, our dear Lady ! it is for thee 
to obtain for me that I may be faithful to this be- 
loved King of my soul. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 37/. 



gjmi 25tj, 
TO JESUS MOST CHARITABLE. 

Earthly physicians, when they love their patients, use all their 
efforts to cure them ; but what physician, in order to cure his patient, 
ever took upon himself the sick man's disease ? Jesus Christ was the 
physician Who charged Himself with our infirmities in order to cure 
them: 4 * He hath borne our infirmities, and carried our sorrows" {Is. 
iii. 4). 

ay Thy charity, O my Redeemer! be forever 
praised and blessed. And what would be- 

1 come of my soul, infirm and afflicted with 

the many wounds of my sins, if I had not Thee, my 
Jesus, Who art both able and willing to heal me ? 
O Blood of my Saviour, I trust in Thee ; wash me 
and cure me. I repent, O my Love, of having of- 
fended Thee. Thou didst lead a life of tribulations, 
and didst die a bitter death, to prove to me what 
love Thou bearest me. I would fain show Thee how 
much I love Thee ; but what can I do who am so 
miserable and weak? O God of my soul ! Thou art 
omnipotent ; Thou canst heal me and make me holy. 
Oh, awake in me a great desire of pleasing Thee. I 



384 Exercises for Each Month. 



renounce all my pleasures to please Thee, my Re- 
deemer, Who dost deserve to be pleased at all costs. 
O Sovereign Good ! I esteem Thee and love Thee 
above every good ; make me love Thee with all my 
heart, and always implore Thy love. I have hitherto 
offended Thee, and have not loved Thee, because I 
have not sought Thy love. I now beg of Thee this 
love, and the grace always to seek it. Oh, grant my 
prayer by the merits of Thy Passion. O Mary, my 
Mother! thou art always prepared to hear the prayer 
of him that calls upon thee. Thou lovest him that 
loveth thee. I love thee, my Queen ; obtain for me 
the grace to love God, and I ask nothing more of 
thee. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 



if&ag 25tf)* 
TO JESUS IN POVERTY. 

O blessed straw, fairer than roses or lilies ! what favored land pro- 
duced you ? Oh, what an enviable lot is yours, to serve as a bed for 
the King of heaven ! But, alas ! you are cold for Jesus ; but you are 
fire and flame for us. since you supply us with a flame of love which 
rivers of water shall never quench. 

Jesus, Thou art the Son of the Lord of 
heaven and earth, and yet Thou liest in this 
cold grotto without other cradle than a 
manger, with nothing but straw for Thy bed, and 
with only miserable rags to cover Thee. The angels 
stand round Thee, and sing Thy praises, but they do 
not relieve Thy poverty. My dear Redeemer, the 
poorer Thou art the more lovable Thou dost render 
Thyself in our eyes, because Thou hast embraced so 
great a poverty for the very end of making us love 
Thee more. If Thou hadst been born in a palace, if 
Thou hadst had a cradle of gold, if Thou hadst been 
assisted by the first princes of the earth, Thou wouldst 
have acquired more respect from men but less love; 
but this stable where Thou dost sleep, these miserable 



The Twenty -fifth Day of Each Month. 385 



rags that cover Thee, this straw that serves Thee as 
Thy bed, this manger that is Thy only cradle — oh, how 
do they attract our souls to love Thee ! " The viler 
He was for me," says St. Bernard, "the dearer He is 
to me." Thou hast made Thyself poor to enrich us 
with Thy riches ; that is, with grace and glory. Ah, 
my Jesus ! this Thy poverty has induced many saints 
to leave all — riches, honors, and kingdoms — in order 
to become poor with Thee. Oh, detach me also, my 
Saviour, from all affection to worldly goods, so that 
I may be made worthy to acquire Thy holy love, and 
thus to possess Thee, Who art the Infinite Good. 
With St. Ignatius of Loyola I will say to Thee : " Give 
me Thy love and Thy grace, and I shall have all the 
riches I crave." I wish for nothing more ; Thou 
alone art sufficient for me, my Jesus, my Life, my 
All. O my Mother Mary ! do thou obtain for me 
the grace that I may always love Jesus, and that I 
may always be loved by Him. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 



June 25tfj. 
TO JESUS INFINITELY PURE. 

All other infants are born in original sin ; but Jesus was born " holy, 
innocent, unpolluted." "My beloved is white and ruddy, chose'n 
out of thousands" (Cant. v. 10). In this Infant only did the Eternal 
Father find His delight, because in Him alone did He rind no fault. 

MY innocent Saviour, Mirror without spot, 
Love of the Eternal Father, chastisements 
and maledictions did not belong to Thee, but 
to me, a miserable sinner; but Thou wouldst show 
to the world the excess of Thy love by sacrificing 
Thy life in order to obtain for us pardon and salva- 
tion, and thus by Thy sufferings pay the penalties 
which we had incurred by our sins. May all creatures 
bless and praise Thy mercy and Thy infinite bounty ! 
I thank Thee on behalf of all men, but especially for 
myself ; because as I have offended Thee more than 



386 



Exercises for Each Month. 



others, so Thou hast suffered the pains which Thou 
didst endure more for me than for others. Accursed 
a thousand times be all those sinful pleasures which 
I have delighted in, and which have cost Thee so 
much sorrow ! But since Thou hast paid the price 
of my ransom, I beseech Thee let not the Blood 
which Thou hast spilled for love of me be lost to me. 
I love Thee, O Infinite Bounty, but I desire to love 
Thee more ; I desire to love Thee as much as Thou 
deservest to be loved. O my Jesus, do Thou cause 
Thyself to be loved by me and by all men ; for Thou 
dost indeed deserve to be loved. I pray Thee, en- 
lighten the minds of those sinners who neither know 
nor love Thee; make them understand what Thou 
hast done for the love of them, and the ardent desire 
Thou hast for their salvation. Most holy Mary, pray 
to Jesus for me and for all sinners ; obtain for us 
light and grace to love Thy Son, Who has loved us 
so much. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 



TO JESUS OBEDIENT. 

During - thirty years Jesus Christ respected St. Joseph as a father, 
and obeyed him as such. Without the order of St. Joseph He per- 
formed no action, took no step, tasted no food, indulged in no repose. 
He was all attention in listening to and executing whatever St. 
Joseph enjoined upon Him. 

■ Y beloved Jesus, Thou art the Sovereign of 
heaven and earth ; but for the love of me 
Thou didst make Thyself a servant even of 

the executioners who tore Thy flesh, pierced Thy 
head, and finally left Thee nailed on the cross to die 
of sorrow. I adore Thee as my God and Lord, and 
I am ashamed to appear before Thee when I remem- 
ber how often, for the sake of some miserable pleas- 
ure, I have rent asunder Thy holy bonds, and have 
to]4 Thee that I would not serve Thee. But still. 



The Twenty-fifth Day of Each Month. 387 



my Saviour, Thy merits and Thy goodness, which 
despise not a heart that repents and humbles itself, 
give me the hope of pardon. I confess, my Jesus, that 

1 have offended Thee greatly ; I confess that I deserve 
a thousand hells for the sins I have committed against 
Thee ; chastise me as Thou seest fit, but do not de- 
prive me of Thy grace and love. I repent above 
every other evil of having despised Thee, and I love 
Thee with my whole heart. I purpose from this day 
forth to desire to serve Thee and love Thee alone. 
I pray Thee, bind me by Thy merits with the chains 
of Thy holy love, and never surfer that I be again 
released from them. I love Thee above everything, 

my deliverer; and I would prefer being Thy 
servant to being master of the whole world. And of 
what avail would all the world be to one who lives 
deprived of Thy grace ? " My sweetest Jesus, permit 
me not to separate myself from Thee." This grace 

1 ask of Thee, and I intend always to ask it to the 
end of my life. I ask this favor of thee also, O 
Mary, my Mother : help me that I may never separate 
myself again from God. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 

August 25tf), 
TO JESUS MOST HUMBLE. 

An angel announced to the shepherds the birth of the Messias ; and 
the signs which He gave them wherewith to find Him and recognize 
Him were all signs of lowliness. " When you shall find a child," 
said he, " in a stable, wrapped up in rags, and lying in a manger on 
the straw, know that it is your Saviour." 

my despised Jesus ! by Thy example Thou 
hast rendered reproaches and contempt sweet 
in the eyes of those that love Thee. But how 
is it, then, that instead of embracing them, as Thou 
hast done, when I have received some little slight 
from men, I have behaved with so much pride, and 




388 Exercises for Each Month, 



taken therefrom occasion to offend Thy infinite 
majesty, proud sinner that I was ? Ah, Lord, I see 
why it is ; I did not know how to bear an affront 
patiently, because I did not know how to love Thee. 
If I had loved Thee truly, it would have been sweet 
and pleasing to me. But since Thou dost promise 
pardon to him who repents, I repent with all my 
heart of all the faults of my whole life — a life so un- 
like Thine. But I desire to amend ; and therefore 
I promise Thee to be willing to suffer patiently from 
this day forward all the contempt which I shall meet 
with for Thy love, O my Jesus ! Who wast so much 
despised for the love of me. I understand that hu- 
miliations are precious mines from which Thou 
d rawest eternal treasures to enrich souls. I deserve 
far greater humiliations and reproaches for having 
despised Thy grace ; I deserve to be trampled on by 
the devils. But Thy merits are my hope. I will 
change my life, and will no longer displease Thee; 
henceforth I will seek for nothing but Thy divine 
pleasure. For the future I will love Thee only ; I 
desire that my heart should belong to Thee alone. 
Ah, take possession of it, and keep it forever, that 
I may be always Thine, and Thou mayest be always 
mine ; that I may love Thee ; and that Thou mayest 
love me forever. Yes, this is my hope, O my God ! al- 
ways to love Thee and always to be loved by Thee. I 
believe in Thee, Infinite Goodness; I hope in Thee, 
Infinite Goodness; I love Thee, Infinite Goodness; 
I love Thee and I will always say : I love Thee, I love 
Thee, I love Thee. O Mary, help me always to love 
God. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 



The Twenty -fifth Day of Each Month. 389 



September 25tfj, 
TO JESUS A MODEL OF MORTIFICATION. 

The Eternal Word came from heaven to teach us the love of suf- 
fering - ; and He began as a child to teach it to us by choosing 
for Himself the most acute sufferings that an infant can endure. It 
was He Himself Who inspired His Mother to put Him away from 
her tender arms, and to replace Him on the hard bed that He might 
feel the more the cold of the cave and the pricking of the rough 
straw. 

^ Lover of souls, my loving Redeemer ! is not, 
then, the sorrowful Passion that awaits 
— » Thee, and the bitter death that is prepared 
for Thee on the cross, sufficient, but that, even from 
the commencement of Thy life, from Thy very in- 
fancy, Thou shouldst begin to suffer ? Yes, because 
even as an infant Thou wouldst begin to be my Re- 
deemer, and to satisfy the divine justice for my sins. 
Thou didst choose a bed of straw to deliver me from 
the fire of hell, into which I have deserved so many 
times to be cast. Thou didst cry and mourn on this 
bed of straw to obtain for me pardon from Thy 
Father. Oh, how these Thy tears afflict and yet con- 
sole me ! They afflict me from compassion at seeing 
Thee, an innocent babe, suffering so much for sins 
not Thine own ; but they console me, because Thy 
sufferings assure me of my salvation, and of Thy im- 
mense love for me. But, my Jesus, I will not leave 
Thee alone to cry and to suffer. I myself will also 
weep. I do not seek for consolation in this life ; he 
does not deserve consolation or pleasure who has had 
the temerity to offend Thee, O Infinite Goodness. I 
am content to suffer all the crosses Thou shalt send 
me ; but, my Jesus, I will love Thee still. O Mary, who 
didst sympathize by thy sufferings with the suffer- 
ings of Jesus, obtain for me the grace to suffer all 
my trials with patience. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 



390 



Exercises for Each Month, 



TO JESUS IN SOLITUDE. 

Jesus disposed of events so as to be born out of the city, in a soli- 
tary cave, in order to recommend to us the love of solitude and of 
silence. In fact, if we enter the grotto we shall see that solitude and 
silence reign therein. Jesus remains in silence in the manger ; Mary 
and Joseph adore and contemplate Him in silence. Happy the soul 
that shuts itself up in the solitude of Bethlehem to contemplate the 
love that God has borne to men ! 

dearest Saviour, Thou art the King of 
heaven, the King of kings, the Son of God ; 
and how is it, then, that I see Thee in this 
cave, forsaken by all? I see no one with Thee but 
Joseph and Thy holy Mother. I desire to unite 
myself to them in keeping Thee company. Do not 
reject me. I do not deserve it ; but I feel that Thou 
dost invite me by Thy sweet voice, speaking to my 
heart. Yes, I come, O my beloved Infant ! I will 
leave all things to pass my whole life along with 
Thee, my beloved little Hermit, only love of my 
soul. Fool that I was, I have hitherto forsaken 
Thee and left Thee alone, O my Jesus, whilst I was 
seeking miserable and baneful pleasures from 
creatures, but now, enlightened by Thy grace, I de- 
sire nothing but to live in solitude with Thee, who 
didst Thyself live in solitude on this earth. "Who 
will give me wings like a dove, and I will fly and be 
at rest" (Ps. liv. 7). Ah, who will enable me to fly 
from this world, where I have so often found my 
ruin — to fly, and to come and remain always with 
Thee, Who art the joy of paradise and the true Lover 
of my soul ? Oh, bind me, I pray Thee, to Thy feet, 
so that I may no longer be separated from Thee, 
but may find my happiness in continually keeping 
company with Thee ! Ah, by the merits of Thy sol- 
itude in the cave of Bethlehem, give me a constant 
interior recollection, so that my soul may become a 
solitary little cell, where I may attend to nothing but 



The Twenty-fifth Day of Each Month. 391 



conversing with Thee ; where I may take counsel 
with Thee in all my thoughts and all my actions ; 
where I may dedicate to Thee all my affections; 
where I may always love Thee, and sigh to leave the 
prison of this body to come and love Thee face to 
face in heaven. I love Thee, O Infinite Goodness, 
and I hope always to love Thee, in time and in 
eternity. O Mary, thou who canst do all things, 
pray to Him to enchain me with His love, and not 
to permit me ever again to lose His grace. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 

TO JESUS PRAYING. 

Oh. how beautiful, perfect, and dear to God were the prayers of 
tne Infant Jesus ! At every moment He prayed to His Father, and 
His prayers were all for us. and for each one of us in particular. All 
the graces that each one of us has received from the Lord are the 
effect of the prayers of Jesus. 

BJ^M y dear Redeemer, how much do I owe Thee ! 
Sgjvjfl If Thou hadst not prayed for me, in what a 
kshII state of ruin should I find myself ! I thank 
Thee, O my Jesus ; Thy prayers have obtained for 
me pardon of my sins, and I hope that they will also 
obtain for me perseverance unto death. Thou hast 
prayed for me, and I bless Thee with my whole heart 
for so doing, but I beseech Thee not to leave off 
praying. I know that Thou dost continue even in 
heaven to be our advocate and to pray for us. Con- 
tinue, therefore, to pray ; but pray more particularly, 
O my Jesus, for me, who am so much in want of 
Thy prayers. I hope that God has already pardoned 
me through Thy merits ; but as I have already so 
often fallen, \ may therefore fall again. Hell does 
not cease, and will never cease, tempting me, in or- 
der to make me again lose Thy friendship. Ah, my 
Jesus, Thou art my hope ; it is Thou that must give 



392 



Exercises for Each Month. 



me fortitude to resist ; from Thee I seek it, and of 
Thee I hope for it ! But I will not content myself 
only with the grace of not falling again ; I desire also 
the grace of loving Thee exceedingly during the days 
that remain to me, so that I may love Thee still 
more in eternity. O Mary, my Mother ! do thou 
also pray, and beseech Jesus for me ; thy prayers are 
all-powerful with thy Son, Who loves thee so much. 
Thou who desirest so much that He should be loved, 
beseech Him to give me a great love for His good- 
ness, and let this love be constant and eternal. 

Recite the Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood, page 377. 



6* jEyercises for tbe jfourtb Sunba^ 
of tbe flDontb, Consecrated to 
tbe preparation for H)eatb* 

1. ?§e tfjat 3Lobes gkotr must JLoht atttr not gftjjor 

ow can he ever abhor death who is in the 
grace of God ? " He that abideth in love 
dwelleth in God, and God in him" (1 John 
iv. 16). He, therefore, that loves God is secure of 
His grace, and, thus dying, he is sure of going to re- 
joice forever in the kingdom of the blessed ; and 
. shall such a one fear death ? David truly said : 
" Enter not into judgment with Thy servant, for in 
Thy sight shall no man living be justified" (Ps. cxlii. 
2). This means that no man may presume to be 
saved by his own merits ; for no .one but Jesus and 
Mary can say that he has been without sin through- 
out his life. But he ought not to fear death, if, with 
true repentance for his sins, he trusts in the merits 
of Jesus Christ. It was to save sinners that Jesus 




Exercises for the Fourth Sunday of the Month. 393 

Christ died and poured forth His Blood. The 
Blood of Jesus Christ, says the apostle, speaks more 
in favor of sinners than the blood of Abel spoke 
against Cain, who slew him. 

It is true that without a divine revelation no man 
can possess an infallible certainty of his own salva- 
tion ; but he that has given himself with a true heart 
to God. and is ready to lose everything, even life it- 
self, rather than lose the divine grace, has a moral 
certainty that he will be saved. This certainty is 
founded on the divine promises : " no man," says the 
Scripture, " ever trusted in God and was confounded " 
(Ecclus. ii. 11). Almighty God declares in many 
passages that He does not desire the death of the 
sinner, but that he be converted and live. " Is it My 
will that a sinner should die, saith the Lord God, 
and not that he should be converted from his ways 
and live?" (Ezech. xviii. 23.) And in the same chap- 
ter God laments over those obstinate sinners who 
choose to perish because they will not leave their sins, 
and says: "Why will you die, O house of Israel?" 
And to those who repent of their sins He promises 
to forget all their iniquities. " If the wicked do 
penance for all his sins which he hath committed, he 
shall live. I will not remember all his iniquities 
that he hath done" (Ezech. xviii. 21). 

When a sinner also hates the sins he has com- 
mitted, it is a certain sign that he has been pardoned. 
A holy Father says that whoever can say with truth, 
" I hate and abhor my iniquities," may be certain 
that they are forgiven. We have another sign of 
pardon when we recover grace and persevere in a 
good life for a considerable time after having sinned. 
It is also a sure sign to the same effect when we have 
a fixed resolution to die rather than lose the friend- 
ship of God, as also when we earnestly desire to love 
■ Him, and to see Him loved by others, and when we 
feel distress at seeing Him offended. 



394 



Exercises for Each Month. 



How is it, then, that certain great saints, after 
having given themselves wholly to God, and after a 
life of mortification and detachment from all earthly- 
things, at the hour of death have felt great terror at 
the thought of appearing before Christ, their Judge ? 
I reply that those great saints who have suffered 
these fears at the moment of death have been very 
few, and that it was the will of God that they should 
thus purge away the remains of their sins before 
entering on eternal blessedness ; but that, ordinarily 
speaking, all the saints have died in remarkable 
peace, and with earnest desires to depart to the 
presence of God. And for the rest, this is the very 
difference between sinners and saints at the hour of 
death, that sinners from fear pass on to despair, and 
saints from fear pass on to confidence, and thus die 
in peace. 

Therefore, every one who has a hope that he is in 
the grace of God ought to desire death, repeating 
the prayer which Jesus Christ has taught us : " Thy 
kingdom come ;" and he ought to embrace death with 
joy when it comes, that he may thus be freed from 
sin, and leave this world, where no one lives without 
imperfections, and go to behold God, face to face, 
and love Him with all his powers in the kingdom of 
love. 



2. protestation for <t 1%K$$y> 3Btuti). 

■ Y God, being certain that I shall die, and not 
knowing when it will be, I intend now to 
prepare myself for death; and I therefore 
declare that I believe all that the holy Church be- 
lieves, and especially the mystery of the most holy 
Trinity, the incarnation and death of Jesus Christ, 
paradise and hell ; because Thou Who art truth it- 
self hast revealed all these truths. 

I deserve a thousand hells : but I hope in Thy 



Exercises for the Fourth Sunday of the Month. 395 

mercy, through the merits of Jesus Christ, to obtain 
pardon, final perseverance, and the glory of paradise. 

I protest that I love Thee above all things, because 
Thou art the Infinite Good ; and because I love Thee 
I am more sorry that I have so often offended Thee 
than for any other evil, and I resolve rather to die 
than offend Thee again. I pray Thee rather to take 
away my life than to permit me to lose Thee by 
another sin. 

I thank Thee, my Jesus, for all the sufferings Thou 
hast undergone for me, and for the many mercies 
Thou hast shown me, after I had so greatly offended 
Thee. 

My beloved Lord, I rejoice in that Thou art in- 
finitely happy, and that Thou art loved by so many 
souls in heaven and on earth. I desire that all 
should know and love Thee. 

I protest that if any one has offended me, I pardon 
him for the love of Thee, O my Jesus ; and I beg 
of Thee to do good to him ! 

I declare that I desire to receive the most holy 
sacraments, both in life and death : and I intend now 
to ask for absolution of my sins, in case I should 
not be able to give any sign of it at my death. 

I accept my death, and all the pains which shall 
accompany it, in union with the death and sorrows 
which Jesus suffered on the cross. And I accept, 
my God, all the pains and tribulations which Thou 
shalt send me before my death. Do with me, and 
with all that belongs to me, what Thou pleasest. 
Give me Thy love and holy perseverance, and I ask 
nothing more. 

My Mother Mary, assist me always, but especially 
at my death ; in the mean time help me and keep 
me in the grace of God. Thou art my hope. Under 
thy mantle I will live and die. St. Joseph, St. Michael, 
Archangel, my -guardian angel, help me always, but 
especially in the hour of my death. 



396 



Exercises for Each Month. 



And Thou, my dear Jesus, Who to obtain for me 
a happy death didst give Thyself to suffer such a 
bitter death, abandon me not in my last hour. From 
this time I embrace Thee, that I may die in Thy 
arms. I deserve hell, but 1 throw myself on Thy 
mercy, hoping in Thy Blood to die in Thy friend- 
ship, and to receive Thy blessing when I shall see 
Thee first as my judge. Into Thy hands, wounded 
for my love, I commend my soul. I hope in Thee, 
that Thou wilt not then condemn me to hell. In 
te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in ceternum. Ah, 
help me always, but especially at my death; grant 
me to die loving Thee, so that the last sigh of life 
may be an act of love, which shall transport me from 
this earth to love Thee forever in paradise. 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my agony ! 
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give myself to you ; do 
you receive my soul at that moment. 

3. £f)e EWortrs ot a 29»tu£ fflim to Sftmi* Cructffeir, 
KggjSPI Jesus, my Redeemer, Who within a few mo- 



ments wilt be my Judge, have mercy upon 



me before the moment comes when Thou 
wilt judge me. No, my sins do not terrify me, nor 
the rigors of Thy judgment, while I see Thee dead 
upon this cross to save me. 

Yet, cease not to comfort me in the agony to 
which I am come : my enemies would terrify me by 
saying that there is no salvation for me : " Many say 
unto my soul, there is no salvation for him in his 
God." But I will never cease to trust in Thy good- 
ness, and say, "Thou, O Lord, art my lifter up." Do 
Thou comfort me ; do Thou make me feel that Thou 
art my salvation : " Say unto my soul, I am Thy sal- 
vation." Oh, let not all those pangs, those insults 
endured, that blood poured forth by Thee, be lost 
unto me. " Thou hast redeemed me, dying upon the 
cross; let not so great labor be in vain." Especially, 




Exercises for the Fourth Sunday of the Month. 397 



I pray Thee, through that bitterness Thou didst feel 
when Thy blessed soul was separated from Thy most 
holy body, have mercy upon my soul when it de- 
parts from my body. 

It is true that through my sins I have continually 
despised Thee ; but now I love Thee above every- 
thing, I love Thee more than myself ; and I grieve 
with all my heart for all the offences I have commit- 
ted against Thee ; I detest them, I hate them above 
every evil. I see that through the offences I have 
been guilty of I have deserved a thousand hells ; 
but the bitter death which Thou hast been willing to 
endure for me, and the great mercies Thou hast al- 
ready shown me, make me confidently hope that 
when I appear before Thee Thou wilt welcome me 
with the kiss of peace. 

Trusting all in Thy goodness, O my God, I aban- 
don myself into Thy loving arms. " In Thee, O 
Lord, I have hoped ; I shall not be confounded for- 
ever." Through the sins I have committed, I have 
again and again deserved hell ; but I hope in Thy 
Blood, that Thou hast now pardoned me ; and I hope 
that I shall come to heaven to praise Thy mercies 
forever: "the mercies of God I will sing forever." 

I willingly accept all the pains Thou dost destine 
for me in purgatory : it is just that the fire should 
purge away the wrongs I have done Thee. O holy 
prison, when shall I find myself shut up in thee, se- 
cure from being able ever to lose my God ! O holy 
fire, when wilt thou purge away my vileness, and 
make me worthy to enter the kingdom of the 
blessed ! 

O Eternal Father, through the merits of the death 
of Thy Son. Jesus Christ, make me to die in Thy grace, 
and in Thy love, that I may come to love Thee through- 
out eternity. I thank Thee for all the graces Thou 
hast given me through my life, and especially for the 
great grace of Thy holy faith, and for having caused 



398 Exercises for Each Month. 



me to receive, in these my last days, all the holy sac- 
raments. Thou wiliest that I should die, and I desire 
to die to please Thee. It is little, O Jesus, my Sav- 
iour, that I should die for Thee, Who hast died for 
me. I am satisfied to say to Thee, with St. Francis, 
" Let me die for love of Thee, Who hast vouchsafed 
to die for love of me." 

I receive death with peace, and also the pains 
which I must endure so long as I breathe ; give me 
strength to suffer with a perfect conformity to Thy 
will. I offer them all to Thy glory, uniting them to 
the pains which Thou didst suffer in Thy Passion. 

"Eternal Father, I sacrifice to Thee my life, and all 
my being ; and I pray Thee to accept this my sacri- 
fice, through the merits of that great sacrifice which 
Jesus Thy Son offered up of Himself upon the cross. 

O Mother of God, and my Mother Mary, thou hast 
obtained many graces from God for me during my 
life; I thank thee with all my heart. O abandon me 
not in this hour of my death, in which I have greater 
need of thy prayers. Pray to Jesus for me, and in- 
crease thy prayers ; obtain for me sorrow for my 
sins, and more love for God, that I may come to love 
Him forever, in company with thee, and with all my 
powers, in heaven. " In thee, O Lady, I have hoped : 

1 shall not be confounded forever." Mary, my hope, 
in thee I trust. 

4. ®ttx to fie frequently matre intrtng Htfe autr at 

tjje 2Ttme of IBeatfj* 
jB j ^a i my God, I offer Thee my life, and I am pre- 



|i|§J pared to die at any hour which may be 
pleasing to Thy holy will. " Thy will be 
done ;" ever, ever, may Thy will be done. 

O Lord, if Thou wiliest to leave me in life for some 
time longer, blessed be Thy name ; but I desire not 
life, except to spend it all in loving Thee and giving 
Thee pleasure, If Thou wilt that I should die of 




Exercises for the Fourth Sunday of the Month. 399 

this sickness, still blessed art Thou. I embrace 
death to do Thy will, and I repeat, " Thy will, Thy 
will be done ;" I only beg Thee to help me all through 
this hour. "Have mercy on me, O God, according 
to Thy great mercy." If, then, Thou wilt that I 
should leave this earth, I declare that I desire to die, 
because thus Thou wilt have it. 

I desire also to die, in order that, by the pain and 
bitterness of my death, I may satisfy Thy divine jus- 
tice for all my sins, through which I have offended 
Thee and deserved hell. 

I desire also to die, that I may never more offend 
Thee or cause Thee displeasure in this life. 

I also desire to die in acknowledgment of the 
gratitude which I owe Thee for all the benefits and 
gifts that Thou hast given me, contrary to all my 
own deserts. 

I desire to die, that I may show that I love Thy 
will more than my life. 

I desire, if it pleases Thee, to die now, at a time 
when I trust I am in Thy grace, in order to be as- 
sured that I shall praise and bless Thee forever. 

I desire, above all, to die, in order that I may come 
to love Thee eternally, and with all my powers, in 
heaven ; where through Thy Blood, O my Redeemer, 
I hope to come, and to be safe from ceasing to love 
Thee through all eternity. O my Jesus, Thou didst 
accept the death of the cross through love of me ; I 
accept death, and all the pains which await me, 
through love of Thee. Therefore I say with St. 
Francis, " May I die, O Lord, through love of Thee, 
Who, through love of me, didst not disdain to die." 

I pray Thee, O my Saviour, my love, and my only 
Good, by Thy holy wounds and Thy bitter death 
make me to die in Thy grace, and through Thy 
Blood suffer me not to perish. O sweetest Jesus, 
suffer me not to be separated from Thee ; suffer me 
not. to be separated from Thee, 



4-00 Exercises for Each Month. 



Lord, drive me not away from Thy face. T con- 
fess that, through my sins, I have deserved hell, and 
I mourn for them more than for any evil ; and I 
hope to come to heaven to praise forever the great 
mercies Thou hast shown to me. " The mercies of 
the Lord I shall sing forever." 

1 adore Thee, O my God, Who hast created me. I 
believe in Thee, O Eternal Truth. I hope in Thee, 
O Infinite Mercy. I love Thee, O Supreme Good- 
ness ; I love Thee above everything; I love Thee 
more than myself, for Thou art worthy of being 
loved : and because I love Thee, I repent with all 
my heart for having despised Thy grace. I promise 
Thee to suffer every kind of death, and a thousand 
deaths, rather than displease Thee. 

O Jesus, Son of God, Who didst die for me, have 
pity upon me ! My Saviour, save me ; and let it be 
my salvation to praise Thee through eternity. 

O Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me ; 
now it is the time for thee to aid me. Mary, Mother 
of grace, Mother of mercy, do thou defend us from 
the enemy, and receive us in the hour of death. To 
thy protection we fly, O holy Mother of God ! O 
Mary, holy Mother of God, pray for us sinners ! 

St. Joseph, my patron and father, help me in this 
hour. St. Michael the Archangel, deliver me from 
the devils who lie in wait for my soul. O my holy 
advocates, and ye saints of paradise, pray to God for 
me. 

And Thou, my Jesus crucified, at the moment 
when I must breathe my last breath, receive my soul 
in Thy arms; to Thee I recommend it; remember 
that Thou hast redeemed me with Thy Blood. "We 
therefore pray Thee, help Thy servants, whom Thou 
hast redeemed with Thy precious Blood." O my 
crucified Jesus, my love, and my hope, whether I live 
or die, I declare that I desire Thee alone, and 
nothing more. Thou art my God and my all, and 



Exercises for the Fourth Sunday of the Month. 401 



what else can I desire but Thee ! What have I in 
heaven or upon earth ? Thou art the God of my 
heart and my portion forever ! Thou art the love of 
my heart ; Thou art all my riches ! 

To Thee, then, I recommend my soul ; to Thee, 
Who hast redeemed it with Thy death. Into Thy 
hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit : Thou hast 
redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. Trusting in 
Thy mercy, I therefore say, In Thee, O Lord, have I 
hoped ; I shall not be confounded forever. O Mary, 
thou art my hope ; to thee, therefore, I say again, 
In thee, O Lady, have I hoped ; I shall not be con- 
founded forever. 

5. ejaculations to fct ttsctr in preparation for a 
gootr ZBeatf), 

Those who wish to make sure of dying well should frequently 
make use of these beautiful ejaculations in time of health as well as 
in time of sickness. — As for those persons who are in attendance on 
the sick, their duty is from time to time to suggest or recite the 
Christian Acts, short prayers, etc., but always with great sweetness 
and discretion. 

i. Confidence in God. 

ME who has placed his confidence in God is 
never abandoned by Him. 
Jesus Christ died to obtain for us the par- 
don of our sins. 

God gave us His only Son to die for us ; therefore 
how can He refuse to pardon us? 

The Lord is my light and my salvation ; of whom, 
then, shall I be afraid ? 

Into Thy hands I commend my spirit ; Thou didst 
redeem me, Lord, Thou God of truth. 

We pray Thee, therefore, help Thy servants whom 
Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious Blood. 

In Thee. O Lord, have I trusted ; let me never be 
confounded, Good Jesus, hide me in Thy sacred 
Wounds. 



402 



Exercises for Each Month. 



Thy wounds will plead for me. 

My Jesus, Thou wilt not refuse me the pardon of 
my sins, since Thou hast not refused me Thy Blood 
and Thy Life. 

Passion of Jesus, thou art my hope. 

Merits of Jesus, ye are my hope. 

Wounds of Jesus, ye are my hope. 

Blood of Jesus, thou art my hope. 

Death of Jesus, thou art my hope. 

Eternally will I sing the Lord's mercy. 

Mary, my Mother, it is for thee to save me ; 
have pity on me. Hail ! our Queen and our hope, 
hail ! 

Holy Mary, pray for me, a poor sinner. 

1 take refuge under thy protection, holy Mother o! 
God! 

Mary, Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me. 



2. Contrition. 

■ Y Jesus, Who wilt be my Judge, forgive me 
before Thou comest to judge me. 
A broken and a contrite heart Thou wilt 
not despise, O my God ! 

How happy should I be had I never offended 
Thee ! Lord, Thou didst not deserve that I should 
thus ill-treat Thee ! 

I have offended Thee, O Infinite Goodness ; I 
heartily repent, and, with all my soul, regret having 
done so. 

Heavenly Father, I am not worthy to be called 
Thy child : I have abandoned Thee, I have despised 
Thy grace, I have lost Thee of my own free will ; ah ! 
forgive me, for the love of Jesus, and by His Blood ; 
I repent with my whole heart. 

Unhappy sins, that have made me lose God, I de- 
test ye, I hate ye, I curse ye. 

My God, whom I have so often offended, what 



Exercises for the Fourth Sunday of the Month. 403 



evil hadst Thou done me ? Ah ! for the love of 
Jesus, have pity on me. Henceforth, Lord, no more 
sins ; I wish to employ the remainder of my life in 
loving Thee. 

To expiate my offences against Thee, O my God, I 
offer Thee my death and all the sufferings I shall 
have to endure until the end, by uniting them to 
those of Jesus crucified for me. 

Mary, obtain for me true sorrow for my sins, 
and also pardon and perseverance. 

3. Love of God. 

God, because Thou art of infinite goodness 
and worthy of infinite love, I love Thee 
beyond every created thing, I love Thee 
more than myself, I love Thee with my whole heart. 

Lord, I am not worthy of loving Thee, because I 
have offended Thee ; but for Jesus' sake grant that 
I may love Thee. 

Would that I could see Thee loved by all! 

1 rejoice in Thine infinite happiness. 

My Jesus, I desire to suffer and die for Thy sake, 
since Thou didst suffer and die for mine. 

Chastise me, Lord, as seemeth best to Thee ; but 
deprive me not of the power of loving Thee. 

I desire paradise that I may love Thee eternally 
with my whole heart. 

Lord, send me not to hell, though such is what I 
deserve; for there I ought to hate Thee, and I know 
not how. What hast Thou done to me that I should 
ever hate Thee ? Grant that I may love Thee, and 
then send me where Thou wilt. 

I desire to suffer all that it pleases Thee to send 
me ; I desire to die that I may do Thy will. 

Bind me, my Jesus, so firmly to Thyself that I may 
never again be separated from Thee. 

My God, may I be all Thine before my death. 



404 



Exercises for Each Month, 



Then shall I be able to say : my God, I can never 
again lose Thee. 

My God, would that I could love Thee as Thou 
dost deserve to be loved. 

O Mary, make my heart all God's. My tender 
Mother, I love Thee with all the ardor of my soul, 
and I desire to love Thee eternally in paradise. 



4. Conformity to God's Will. 



ehold me, Lord; do with me what Thou wilt. 
May Thy Will be ever done ; I only desire 
what Thou wilt. I desire to suffer what 
Thou wiliest ; I desire to die when Thou wiliest. 

Into Thy hands I commend my body, my soul, my 
life, and my death. I love Thee, O my God, whether 
it pleaseth Thee to send me consolations or afflictions, 
and I desire to love Thee always. 

Eternal Father, I unite my death to that of Jesus 
Christ, and I offer it to Thee in order to please Thee. 
Will of my God, Thou art my love. 
Good pleasure of my God, I devote myself entirelv 
to Thee. 

5. Desire of Paradise. 



MY God, when shall I behold Thine infinite 
beauty, and when shall I behold Thee face 
to face ? 

In paradise I shall love Thee, and Thou wilt love 
me to all eternity, my God and my All ! 

My Jesus, when shall I be admitted to kissing those 
wounds which were imprinted for my sake? 

O Mary, when shall I find myself at the feet of the 
Mother who has so loved and aided me? 

My sweet Protectress, turn thou on me thine eyes 
of mercy. Take me from this land of exile, and show 
me the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. 



Exercises for ike Fourth Sunday of the Month. 405 



6. On Kissing the Crucifix* 

Jesus, look not on my sins, but look on what 
Thou didst suffer for me. 

Remember, I am a sheep of that flock for 
which Thou didst lay down Thy life. 

I consent to being consumed for Thee, my Jesus, 
Who didst consume Thyself entirely for me. 

Thou didst give Thyself entirely to me ; I now give 
myself entirely to Thee. 

My innocent Lord, Thou didst suffer for me far 
more than I, a sinner, am now suffering. 

My beloved Redeemer, like Magdalen I kiss Thy 
sacred feet ; vouchsafe me a pardoning word. 

My God, for the love of Jesus Christ, pardon me, 
and grant me a good death. 

Eternal Father, Thou didst give me Thy beloved 
Son ; to Thee I consecrate mv body and soul. 

My Jesus, I have repaid' Thee with ingratitude; 
have pity on me, for I have so often merited being 
cast into hell ; I pray Thee to punish me in this life 
rather than in the next. 

Thou didst not abandon me when I strayed away 
from Thee ; abandon me not, I pray Thee, now that 
I would seek Thee. 

Sweet Jesus, let me not be separated from Thee. 
Who can separate me from the love of Jesus ? 

My sweet Lord Jesus Christ, by Thy sufferings 
when Thy pure and innocent soul left Thy most holy 
Body, have pity on my guilty soul when it shall leave 
my body. Amen. 

My Jesus. Thou didst die for love of me ; I would 
die for love of Thee. 



406 Exercises for Each Month. 



7. pious Eyerctscs for the 
fSDontbli? IRetreat. 

Pious soul, be careful to choose every month a special day of recol- 
lection. On that day read over your Rule of Life ; examine your- 
self as to the resolutions and devotional exercises you have adopted, 
and strengthen your soul by means of loving aspirations. 

1. mule of 3L\iz. 

On the morning, rise from bed at a fixed hour, 
and immediately recite your morning prayers. 
During the day, make half an hour's mental 
prayer, and at least a quarter of an hour's spiritual 
reading. Hear Mass. Make a visit to the Most 
Blessed Sacrament and to the Divine Mother. Say 
the beads. In the evening make an examination of 
conscience, and recite your evening prayers. 

2. Go to confession and Communion at least every 
week, and oftener if possible, always with the advice 
of your spiritual director. 

3. Choose a good, learned, and pious confessor, 
and be directed always by him, as well in your exer- 
cises of devotion, as in all affairs of importance; and 
do not leave him without a good reason. 

4. Avoid idleness, bad companions, immodest con- 
versations, and, above all, the occasions of sin. 

5. In temptations, sign yourself immediately with 
the sign of the holy cross, and invoke the most holy 
names of Jesus and Mary so long as the temptation 
lasts. 

6. When you commit any sin repent of it at once, 
and resolve to amend ; if it is a grievous sin, confess 
it as soon as possible. 

7. Hear sermons as often as you can, and belong 
to some confraternity. 



Pious Exercises for the Monthly Retreat. 407 



8. In adverse circumstances, sickness, losses, per- 
secutions, unite yourself to the will of God, saying : 
" This is the will of God ; may His will be done." 

9. Fast in honor of the Blessed Virgin, or make 
some corporal mortification on the Saturday and on 
the vigils of her seven Feasts, as well as on the eves 
of Christinas, Pentecost, and the Feast of your holy 
patron. 

10. Make a yearly retreat of some days, and make 
a day's retreat every month by going to Communion, 
and as much as possible avoiding all conversation. 

11. According to your means, take part in works 
that have been established for the good of the Church 
or the conversion of souls. 

N.B. — In times of retreat it would be well to take for spiritual 
reading " The way to converse always and familiarly with God,'' 
page Si. 

q r 

2. fHavtms for tj>e Btrcrttou of a Soul tfjat trcstrcs 
to attaw iarrfcrttoit tit tljc Hobc of Jesus Cfjnst, 



|0 desire ardently to increase in the love of 
Jesus Christ. 
2. Often to make acts of love towards Jesus 
Christ. Immediately on waking, and before going to 
sleep, to make an act of love, seeking always to unite 
your own will to the will of Jesus Christ. 

3. Frequently to meditate on the Passion. 

4. Always to ask Jesus Christ for greater love of 
Him. 

5. Frequently to receive holy Communion, and to 
make several spiritual Communions daily. 

6. Frequently to visit the Most Holy Sacrament. 

7. Every morning to receive your daily cross from 
the hands of Jesus Christ Himself. 

8. To desire paradise and death in order to be able 
to love Jesus Christ perfectly and for all eternity. 

9. Often to speak of the love of Jesus Christ. 



4o8 



Exercises for Each Month. 



10. To accept contradictions for the sake of Jesus 
Christ. 

11. To rejoice in God's perfect happiness. 

12. To do that which is most pleasing to Jesus 
Christ, and to refuse Him nothing that would be 
agreeable to Him. 

13. To desire and endeavor that all men should 
love Jesus Christ. 

14. To pray always for sinners, and for the souls in 
purgatory. 

15. To drive from your heart every affection that 
does not belong to Jesus Christ. 

16. Always to have recourse to Mary, that she may 
obtain for us the love of Jesus Christ. 

17. To honor Mary in order to please Jesus Christ. 

1 8. To seek to please Jesus Christ in all your actions. 

19. To offer Jesus Christ to suffer any pain for love 
of Him. 

20. To be always determined to die rather than 
commit a wilful venial sin. 

21. To suffer crosses patiently, saying: "Thus it 
pleases Jesus Christ." 

22. To renounce your own pleasures for the love of 
Jesus Christ. 

23. To pray as much as possible. 

24. To practise all the mortifications that obedience 
permits. 

25. To do all your spiritual exercises as if it were 
for the last time. 

26. To persevere in good works in time of aridity. 

27. Neither to do nor leave undone anything 
through human respect. 

28. Not to complain in time of sickness. 

29. To love solitude, so as to be able to converse 
alone with Jesus. 

30. To drive away melancholy. 

31. Often to recommend yourself to the prayers of 
those who love Jesus Christ. 



Pious Exercises for the Monthly Retreat. 409 



32. In temptations, to have recourse to Jesus cru- 
cified, and to Mary in her sorrow. 

33. To trust entirely in the Passion of Jesus 
Christ. 

34. After committing a fault, not to be discouraged, 
but to repent and resolve to amend. 

35. To do good to those who do evil to you. 

36. To speak well of all, and to excuse the inten- 
tion when you cannot approve the action. 

37. To help your neighbor as much as you can. 

38. Neither to do nor say anything that might vex 
your neighbor, and, if you have been wanting in 
charity towards him, to ask pardon for it, and speak 
gently to him. 

39. Always to speak with gentleness and in a low 
voice. 

40. To offer to Jesus Christ all the humiliations 
and persecutions you may meet with. 

41. To lpok upon your superiors as the representa- 
tives of Jesus Christ. 

42. To obey without answering and without re- 
pugnance, and not to seek your own satisfaction in 
anything. 

43. To like the lowest employments. 

44. To like the poorest things. 

45. Not to speak either good or evil of yourself. 

46. To humble yourself even towards your infe- 
riors. 

47. Not to excuse yourself when you are re- 
proved. 

48. Not to defend yourself when you are found 
fault with. 

49. To be silent when you are disquieted. 

50. Always to renew your determination to become 
a saint, saying : " My Jesus, I desire to be all Thine, 
and Thou must be all mine." 



4to 



Exercises for Each Month. 



3. fljousSts auft Bj'aculattxm** 

love Thee, my Jesus, Who didst die for me 
Would that I had died before I ever of- 
fended Thee ! 
I will rather die than lose God, 
Jesus and Mary, you are my hope! 
"My God, help me, for the love of Jesus Christ! 
My Jesus, Thou alone art sufficient for me! 
Suffer me not to separate myself from Thee. 
Give me Thy love, and then do with me what Thou 
pleasest. 

Whom shall I love, if I love not Thee, my God ? 
Eternal Father, help me, for the love of Jesus ! 
I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee ! 
Here I am, O Lord ; do with me what Thou wilt ! 
When shall I see myself altogether Thine, my 
God ? 

When shall I be able to say to Thee, My God, I 
cannot lose Thee more ? 

Mary, my hope, have pity on me ! 

Mother of God, pray to Jesus for me ! 

Lord, who am I, that Thou shouldst desire to be 
loved by me ? 

My God, I desire Thee alone, and nothing more. 9 

I desire all that Thou desirest, and only what 
Thou desirest. 

Oh, that I might be annihilated for Thee, Who 
wast annihilated for me ! 

Towards Thee alone, my God, have I been un- 
grateful ! 

I have offended Thee enough ; I will no longer dis- 
please Thee. 

If I had died then, I could not have loved Thee 
any more ! 

Let me die before again offending Thee. 

Thou hast waited for me that I might love Thee. 
Yea, I will love Thee. 



Pious Exercises for the Monthly Retreat. 41 1 



I consecrate the remainder of my life to Thee. 

my Jesus, draw me entirely to Thyself! 

Thou wilt not leave me ; I will not leave Thee. O 
God of my soul, may it be ever thus ! 

My Jesus, make me all Thine before I die. 

Grant that when Thou shalt come to judge me, 1 
may see Thee with a benign and favorable counte- 
nance. 

Thou hast done more than enough to oblige me to 
love Thee. I love Thee, I love Thee! 

Deign to accept the love of a sinner who has so 
often offended Thee. 

Thou hast given Thyself all to me ; I give myself 
all to Thee. 

1 desire to love Thee exceedingly in this life, so 
that I may love Thee exceedingly in the next. 

Teach me to know Thy great goodness, that I may 
love Thee with all my heart. 

Thou lovest those that love Thee. I love Thee ; 
therefore do Thou love me. 

Give me the amount of love which Thou requirest 
of me. ' ♦ 

I rejoice that Thou art infinitely happy. 

Oh, that I had always loved Thee, and had died 
before I offended Thee. 

Grant that I may overcome all things to please 
Thee. 

I give Thee my whole will ; dispose of me as Thou 
pleasest. 

My pleasure is to please Thee, O Infinite Good- 
ness. 

I hope to love Thee to all eternity, O eternal God ! 

Thou art omnipotent ; make me a saint. 

Thou didst seek me while I was fleeing from Thee. 
Thou wilt not drive me away now that I am seeking 
after Thee. 

T thank Thee for giving me the time to love Thee. 
I thank Thee, and I love Thee. 



412 



Exercises for Each Month. 



Let me give myself entirely to Thee this cay. 

Punish me in any way, but deprive me not of the 
power of loving Thee. 

I will love Thee, my God, without reserve. 

I accept all sufferings, all contempt, provided I 
may love Thee. 

I desire to die for Thee, Who didst die for me. 

I wish that all could love Thee as Thou meritest. 

I wish to do everything that I know to be Thy 
pleasure. 

I care more to please Thee than I care for all the 
pleasures in the world. 

O holy will of God, you are my love ! 

O Mary, draw me entirely to God. 

O my Mother, make me always to have recourse 
to Thee ; it is for thee to make me a saint ; this is my . 
hope. 



FOURTH PART. 



DEVOTIONS FQR THE DIFFER- 
ENT SEASONS OF THE YEAR. 



I. Bevoticm to tbe 1boty $rinit& 

Enbocatton of tfje fttost J%ol» Crtmts on mafcuts 
tfje ^tgit of tge Cross* 

* In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 
of the Holy Ghost. 1 

*liratses in Jjonor of tfje i^ost ?gol» £rmtt»* 

lory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to 
the Holy Ghost. As it was in the begin- 
ning, is now, and ever shall be, world with- 
out end. Amen. 

* We call on Thee, we praise Thee, we adore Thee, 
O blessed Trinity ! Deliver us, save us, give us life, 
O blessed Trinity ! Let us bless the Father and the 
Son together with the Holy Ghost ; let us praise 
and bless them to all eternity. 



1 50 days' indulgence every time of making- the sign of the cross, 
using the above words. 100 days if made with holy water. (July 
28th, 1863.) 



413 



4 H Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



* Angelic arrtsastrmu 1 

OLY, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts ; the 
earth is full of Thy glory. Glory be to the 
Father, glory be to the Son, glory be to the 
Holy Ghost. 

MttU (tf)Upltt of fyt 3Sltssetr Eximt^ in fjouor of 

The Blessed Virgin revealed to one of her pious clients that she 
takes great pleasure in the honor paid her by the recitation of the 
following prayers: 

render Thee thanks, O Eternal Father, for 
the power that Thou hast given to Mary, 
Thy daughter. 
" Our Father," <c Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

I render Thee thanks, O Eternal Son ! for the wis- 
dom that Thou hast given to Mary, Thy Mother. 
" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

I render Thee thanks, O Eternal Spirit ! for the 
love that Thou hast given to Mary, Thy Spouse. 
" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

Hail, Daughter of God the Father; hail, Mother 
of God the Son ; hail, Spouse of God the Holy 
Ghost ; hail, living Temple of the Holy Trinity. 

In Thy conception, O Mary, thou wast immacu- 
late. Pray for us to the Eternal Father, Whose 
only-begotten Son Jesus, conceived in thy womb by 
the Holy Ghost, thou didst bring forth (100 days' in- 
dulgence each time). 

May all things be to the eternal glory of the Most 
Holy Trinity and of Immaculate Mary. 
Thanks be to God and to Mary ! 



1 ioo days, once a day; the same three times on Sundays, and daily 
throughout the Octave of Trinity Sunday. Plenary, once a month, 
on the usual conditions, for those who recite it daily. (June 6th, 
1769.) 



Devotion to the Holy Trinity. 



415 



Htt3tt2 of tf)t 3Lobe of ©oir* 

(Composed by His Holi?iess Pope Pius VI.) 

j]ORD, have mercy on us, etc. 
Thou Who art Infinite Love, 
Thou Who didst first love me, 
Thou Who commandest me to love Thee, 
With all my heart, 
With all my soul, 
With all my mind, 
With all my strength, 
Above all possessions and honors, 
Above all pleasures and enjoyments, 
More than myself, and everything belonging 
to me, 

More than all my relations and friends, 
More than all men and angels, 
Above all created things in heaven or on earth, 
Only for Thyself, 

Because Thou art the Sovereign Good, 
Because Thou art infinitely worthy of being 
loved, 

Because Thou art infinitely perfect, 
Even hadst Thou not promised me heaven, 
Even hadst Thou not menaced me with hell, 
Even shouldst Thou try me by want and 
misfortune, 

In wealth and in poverty, 
In prosperity and in adversity, 
In health and in sickness, 
In life and in death, 
In time and in eternity, 

In union with that love wherewith all the 
saints and all the angels love Thee in heaven, 

In union with that love wherewith the Blessed 
Virgin Mary loveth Thee, 

In union with that infinite love wherewith 
Thou lovest Thyself eternally, 



41 6 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Prayer. 

My God, Who dost possess in incomprehensible 
abundance all that is perfect and worthy of love ! 
annihilate in me all guilty, sensual, and undue love 
for creatures, kindle in my heart the pure fire of Thy 
love, so that I may love nothing but Thee, or in 
Thee, until, being entirely consumed by holy love 
of Thee, I may go to love Thee eternally with the 
elect in heaven, the country of pure love. Amen. 



2* devotion to ©ur Xorb 
3esti6 Cbrist 

DEVOTION TO THE INFANT JESUS. 

<&f)apltt in J^ouor of tje Encarttate OTortr* 

most sweet Jesus, Who wast born in a cave 
and wast afterwards laid in a manger upon 
straw, have mercy on us. 
R. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on us. "Our 
Father," " Hail Mary, 1 ' " Glory be," etc. 

2. My most sweet Jesus, Who wast presented and 
offered by Mary in the Temple, to be afterwards one 
day sacrificed for us upon the cross, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on us. "Our 
Father," " Hail Mary," "Glory be," etc. 

3. My most sweet Jesus, Who wast persecuted by 
Herod and constrained to fly into Egypt, have mercy 
on us. 

R. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on us. "Our 
Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

4. My most sweet Jesus, Who didst dwell in Egypt 
for seven years, poor, unknown, and despised by that 
barbarous nation, have mercy on us. 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 417 



R. Have mercy. O Lord, have mercy on us. " Our 
Father." " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

5. My most sweet Jesus, Who didst return to Thy 
country to be one day crucified there in the midst of 
two thieves, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy. O Lord, have mercy on us. "Our 
Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

6. My most sweet Jesus, Who at the age of twelve 
years didst remain in the temple to dispute with the 
doctors, and after three days wast found by Mary, 
have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on us. "Our 
Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

7. My most sweet Jesus, Who didst live concealed 
from the world for so many years in the shop at 
Nazareth, serving Mary and Joseph, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on us. "Our 
Father," " Hail Mary." " Glory be," etc. 

8. My most sweet Jesus, Who for three years before 
Thy passion didst go about preaching and teaching 
the way of salvation, have mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on us. "Our 
Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

9. My most sweet Jesus, Who for the love of us 
didst terminate Thy life by dying on the cross, have 
mercy on us. 

R. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on us. " Our 
Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 
Ejaculation. My Jesus, be Thou born in my heart. 



41 8 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



PRAYERS TO THE INFANT JESUS. 
STo 3tm$ comtrtQ into tjte OTorltr to accomplish 

" I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of 
Him that sent Me."— John vi. 38. 

IjMfc^l my beloved Infant, my dear Redeemer, since 



Thou hast come down from heaven to give 



I g™ 3 ! Thyself to me, what else shall I go about 
seeking in heaven or on earth besides Thee, Who 
art my Sovereign Good, my only Treasure, the Para- 
dise of souls ? Be Thou, then, the sole Lord of my 
heart, do Thou possess it wholly. May my heart 
obey Thee alone, and seek to please Thee alone ! 
May my soul love Thee alone, and mayest Thou 
alone be its portion ! Let others strive after and 
enjoy (if enjoyment can ever be found out of Thee) 
the goods and fortunes of this world ; Thee alone do 
I desire, Who. art my fortune, my riches, my peace, 
my hope, in this life and in eternity. Behold, then, 
my heart ; I give it wholly to Thee ; it is no longer 
mine own, but Thine. In the same manner as at 
Thy entrance into the world Thou didst offer to the 
Eternal Father and present to Him Thine eternal 
will, as David has taught : " In the head of the book 
it is written of Me; that I should do Thy will ; O My 
God, I have desired it" (Ps. xxxix. 9), so do I on this 
day offer to Thee, my Saviour, my entire will. At 
one time it was rebellious against Thee, and with it 
I offended Thee ; but for all the wicked consent by 
which I have miserably forfeited Thy friendship, I 
am now heartily sorry, and I consecrate my entire 
will to Thee. " Lord, what wilt Thou have Me to 
do?" (Acts ix. 6.) Tell me what Thou desirest of 
me, for I am willing to do all. Dispose of me and 
of my affairs as Thou wilt, for I accept of all, and in 
everything I resign myself to Thee. I know well 
that Thou wiliest what is best for me, and therefor^ 




Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 419 



I abandon my soul fully into Thy hands : "Into Thy 
hands I commend My spirit." For pity's sake, help 
it, and preserve it ! and grant that it may be always 
and entirely Thine own, since Thou hast redeemed 
it with the last drop of Thy Blood: "Thou hast 
redeemed Me, O Lord, the God of truth" (Ps. xxx. 6). 
O Mary, help me to do the will of God ! 

£0 $esus all <&urs* 

If we wish God to give Himself entirely to us, it is likewise neces- 
sary for us to give ourselves entirely to Him. 

ST^MY dearest Jesus, if it be true (as the law says) 
§M«j| that dominion is required by gift, since Thy 
Father hath given Thee to me, Thou art 
mine; for me Thou wast born, to me hast Thou 
been given : " A Child is born to us, a Son is given 
to us" (Is. ix. 6). Therefore I may well say: "My 
Jesus and my All." Since Thou art mine, every- 
thing that belongs to Thee is also mine. Of this I 
am assured by Thy apostle : " How hath He not also 
with Him given us all things" (Rom viii. 32). Thy 
Blood is mine, Thy merits are mine, Thy grace is 
mine, Thy paradise is mine; and if Thou art mine, 
who shall be able to take Thee from me ? " No man 
can take God away from me," said with joy the abbot 
St. Antony. So, from this day forth, will I also 
continually say. It is only through my own fault 
that I can lose Thee and separate myself from Thee ; 
but if in past times I have abandoned Thee and lost 
Thee, O my Jesus, I now repent of it with all my 
soul, and I am resolved to lose my life and everything 
sooner than lose Thee, O Infinite Good and only 
love of my soul ! I thank Thee, Eternal Father, for 
having given me Thy Son ; and since Thou hast 
given Him entirely to me, I, miserable sinner, give 
myself entirely to Thee. For the sake of this same 
Son, accept me, and bind me with the chains of love 
to this my Redeemer ; but bind me so strongly that 



42 o Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



I also may be able to say : "Who shall separate me 
from the love of Christ?" (Rom. viii. 35.) What 
good shall there ever be in the world that shall 
separate me from my Jesus? And Thou, my 
Saviour, if Thou art all mine, know that I am all 
Thine. Dispose of me, and of all that belongs to 
me, as shall best please Thee. And how can I refuse 
anything to a God Who has not refused me His 
Blood and His Life ? Mary, my Mother, do Thou 
guard me with thy protection. I will no longer be 
my own. I will be all my Saviour's. Do thou help 
me to be faithful ; I trust in thee. 

£To 3^bub aflStctetr at tje <Stfif)t of out Surs* 

From the very first moment of His existence Jesus beheld every 
single fault of every one of us, and each sin afflicted Him immeasur- 
ably. 

IKWII Y beloved Jesus, I who have offended Thee 
IeuIII am not wor thy of Thy favors, but through 
l aSMgafi j the merit of that pain which Thou didst 
suffer, and which Thou didst offer up to God at the 
sight of my sins, and to satisfy divine justice for 
m them, give me a share in that light by which Thou 
didst see their malice, and in that hatred with which 
Thou didst then abominate them. Can it then be 
true, my amiable Saviour, that ever since Thou wast 
an Infant, and in every moment of Thy life, I have 
been a murderer of Thy Sacred Heart, and a mur- 
derer more cruel than all those who crucified Thee ? 
And I have renewed and increased this suffering 
every time I have repeated my offences against 
Thee ? O Lord ! Thou hast indeed died to save me ; 
but Thy death will not save me, if I do not on my 
part detest every evil, and have true sorrow for the 
sins I have committed against Thee. But even this 
sorrow must be given me by Thee. Thou givest it 
to him that asks it of Thee. I ask it of Thee through 
the merits of all the sufferings Thou dfdst endure on 



Dei'otion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



421 



this earth ; give me sorrow for my sins, but a sorrow 
that will correspond to my transgressions. Help 
me, O Lord ! to make that act of contrition which I 
now intend to do. O eternal God, supreme and 
infinite Good ! I. a miserable worm, have dared to 
lose respect for Thee, and to despise Thy grace ; I 
detest above every evil and abhor the injuries I have 
committed against Thee ; I repent of them with my 
whole heart, not so much on account of hell, which 
I have deserved, as because I have offended Thy 
infinite goodness. I hope for pardon from Thee 
through the merits of Jesus Christ ; and I hope also 
to obtain, together with Thy pardon, the grace of 
loving Thee. I love Thee, O God. Who art worthy 
of infinite love, and I will always repeat to Thee, I 
love Thee, I love Thee. I love Thee ; and as Thy 
beloved St. Catharine of Genoa said to Thee, while 
she stood in spirit at Thy feet. O Thou crucified 
one, so will I also say to Thee now that I am stand- 
ing at Thy feet. " My Lord, no more sins,. no more 
sins!" No. for Thou indeed dost not deserve to 
be offended, O my Jesus, but Thou only deservest 
to be loved. My blessed Redeemer, help me. My 
Mother Mary, assist me, I pray thee ; I only ask of 
thee to obtain for me that I may love God during 
the time that is left me in this life. 



£0 Scsus too Itttlr ILobctr, 

In order to oblige us to love Him. God would not confide the work 
of our salvation to another, but Himself vouchsafed to redeem us by 
becoming man. 

[Jet us say with St. Augustine : " O fire, ever 
burning, inflame me !" O Word Incarnate, 
Thou wast made man to enkindle divine love 
in our hearts : and how couldst Thou have met with 
such a want of gratitude in the hearts of men ? Thou 
hast spared nothing to induce them to love Thee ; 
Thou hast even gone so far as to give Thy Blood 



422 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

and Thy life for them : and how, then, can men still 
remain so ungrateful ? Do they, perchance, not 
know it ? Yes, they know it, and they believe that 
for them Thou hast come down from heaven to put 
on mortal flesh, and to load Thyself with our mis- 
eries ; they know that for their love Thou hast led a 
painful life, and embraced an ignominious death ; 
and how, then, can they live forgetful of Thee ? 
They love relatives, friends ; they love even animals : 
if from them they receive any token of good-will, 
they are anxious to repay it ; and yet towards Thee 
aione are they so loveless and ungrateful. But, 
alas ! in accusing them I am my own accuser : I who 
have treated Thee worse than any one else. But Thy 
goodness encourages me, which I feel has borne with 
me so long, in order at length to pardon me, and to 
inflame me with Thy love, provided I will but repent 
and love Thee. Indeed, my God, I do wish to re- 
pent ; and I grieve with my whole soul for having 
offended Thee ; I wish to love Thee with my whole 
heart. I am well aware, my Redeemer, that my 
heart is no longer worthy of Thy acceptance, since 
it has forsaken Thee for the love of creatures ; but, 
at the same time, I see that Thou art willing to have 
it, and with my entire will I dedicate it and present 
it to Thee. Inflame it, then, wholly with Thy divine 
love, and grant that from this day forward it may 
never love any other but Thee, O Infinite Goodness ! 
worthy of an infinite love. I love Thee, my Jesus ; 
I love Thee, O Sovereign Good ! I love Thee, O 
only Love of my soul ! 

O Mary my Mother, thou who art the mother of 
fair love (Ecclus. xxiv. 24), do thou obtain for me 
this grace to love my God ; I hope it of thee. 



9 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



423 



£0 #esus afcout to fie bovrx. 

Let us unite ourselves to Mary and Joseph, and with them, let us 
bear company to the King of heaven, Who is about to be born in a 
cave, and make His first appearance in the world under the form of 
a little child, the poorest and most forlorn ever born among men. 

y beloved Redeemer, I know that in this jour- 
ney Thou wast accompanied by hosts of an- 

gels from heaven ; but on this earth who was 

there that bore Thee company ? Thou hadst but 
Joseph and Mary, who carried Thee with her. Re- 
fuse not, O my Jesus ! that I also accompany Thee. 
Miserable, ungrateful sinner that I have been, I now 
see the injuries I have done Thee ; Thou didst come 
down from heaven to make Thyself my companion 
on earth, and I by my frequent offences have ungrate- 
fully abandoned Thee! When I remember, O my 
Saviour ! that for the sake of my own cursed inclina- 
tions I have often separated myself from Thee and 
renounced Thy friendship, I could wish to die of 
sorrow. But Thou didst come into the world to 
forgive me ; therefore forgive me now, I beseech 
Thee, for I repent with all my soul of having so of- 
ten turned my back upon Thee and forsaken Thee. 
I purpose and hope, through Thy grace, nevermore 
to leave or separate myself from Thee, O my only 
love ! My soul has become enamoured of Thee, O 
my amiable Infant God ! I love Thee, my sweet 
Saviour ; and since Thou hast come upon earth to 
save me and to dispense to me Thy graces, I ask this 
one only grace of Thee, permit me not to be ever 
again separated from Thee. Unite me, bind me to 
Thyself, enchain me with the sweet cords of Thy 
holy love. O my Redeemer and my God, who will 
then have the heart to leave Thee, and to live with- 
out Thee, deprived of Thy grace ? Most holy Mary, 
I come to accompany thee in this journey ; and 
thou, O my Mother, cease not to accompany me in 
the journey that I am making to eternity. Do thou 



4^4 devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



assist me always, but especially when I shall find 
myself at the end of my life, and near that moment 
on which will depend either my remaining always 
with thee to love Jesus in Paradise, or my being for- 
ever separated from thee and hating Jesus in hell. 
My Queen, save me by thy intercession ; and may 
my salvation be to love thee and Jesus forever, in 
time and in eternity. Thou art my hope ; I hope 
everything from thee. 

2To Jtesus ttetols fcortt* 

O all ye devout souls, Jesus now invites you to come and kiss His 
feet. The shepherds who came to visit Him in the stable of Bethle- 
hem brought their gifts ; you must also bring- your gifts. What will 
you bring Him? Listen to me: the most acceptable present you 
can bring Him is that of a contrite heart. Let each one, then, say to 
Him : 

li*KSPH 0RD ' ^ should not have dared to approach 
llisPfl Thee, seeing myself so deformed by my sins ; 
i **— * 1 but since Thou, my Jesus, dost invite me so 
courteously, and dost call me so lovingly, I will not 
refuse. After having so many times turned my back 
upon Thee, I will not add this fresh insult, namely, 
that of refusing this affectionate, this loving invita- 
tion, out of distrust. Say to him, Thou must know that 
I am poor, and that I have nothing to give Thee. I 
have nothing but this heart ; this I now offer to 
Thee. It is true that this my heart offended Thee 
at one time ; but now it is penitent, and I bring it 
to Thee penitent. Yes, O Infant ! I repent of hav- 
ing offended Thee. I confess that I have been a 
traitor, cruel and ungrateful ; that it is I who have 
caused Thee to suffer so much, and who have made 
Thee shed so many tears in the stable of Bethle- 
hem : but Thy tears are my hope. I am a sinner, it 
is true, and I do not deserve to be pardoned ; but I 
come before Thee, Who, being God, hast become a 
little child to obtain pardon for me. Eternal Father, 
if I merit hell, look at the tears of Thy innocent 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 425 



Son ; they invoke Thy pardon in my behalf. Thou 
dost deny nothing to the prayers of Thy Son. Listen 
to Him, then, now that He asks Thee to pardon me 
on this night. — the night of joy, the night of salva- 
tion, the night of pardon. Ah, my Infant Jesus, I 
hope for pardon from Thee ; but the forgiveness of 
my sins alone is not sufficient for me. On this night 
Thou dost grant great spiritual graces ; I also de- 
sire that Thou shouldst bestow a great grace on 
me, — it is, the grace to love Thee. Now that I am 
about to approach Thy feet, inflame me wholly with 
Thy holy love, and bind me to Thee ; but bind me 
so effectually that I may nevermore be separated 
from Thee. I love Thee, O my God, Who didst be- 
come a little child for my sake ; but I love Thee very 
little ; I desire to love Thee very much, and Thou 
hast to enable me to do it. I come, then, to kiss 
Thy feet, and I offer Thee my heart ; I leave it in 
Thy hands ; I will have it no longer ; do Thou 
change it, and keep it forever ; do not give it back 
to me again; for if Thou dost, I fear lest it should 
betray Thee afresh. 

Most holy Mary, thou who art the Mother of this 
great Son, but who art also my Mother, it is to thee 
that I consecrate my poor heart ; present it to Jesus ; 
and He will not refuse to receive it, when presented 
by thee. Do thou, then, present it, and beg Him to 
accept it. 

£0 $rsus fccconir a €i)tltr out of lobr for its* 

O man, behold with what love this tender Saviour has come down 
from heaven in order to seek Thee! Dost thou not hear His childish 
cries ? Though but just born, He is addressing- Himself to thee ; listen 
to His plaintive wailings. which seem to say : O soul that I love. I am 
seeking- for thee; it is for thee, and to gain thy love, that I have come 
down to earth from heaven. 

Jesus, my supreme and true God ! what 
can have attracted Thee from heaven to be 
— born in a cave, if it be not the love that Thou 
bearest to man ? What has drawn Thee from the 



426 Devotions for Differe7it Seasons of the Year. 

bosom of Thy Father to lay Thyself down in a 
manger? What has brought Thee down from Thy 
throne above the stars, to stretch Thyself on a little 
straw ? What, from the midst of the nine choirs of 
angels, has placed Thee between two animals ? Thou 
dost inflame the seraphim with holy fire, and lo, 
Thou art trembling with cold in this stable ! Thou 
dost give motion to the heavens and the sun, and 
now Thou canst not move without being carried in 
some one's arms ! Thou dost provide both man and 
beast with food, and dost Thou now require a little 
milk to sustain Thy life? Thou art the delight of 
heaven, and yet I hear Thee weep and moan? Tell 
me who hath reduced Thee to such misery? "Who 
hath done this ? Love hath done it," says St. Ber- 
nard ; the love that Thou bearest to man hath done 
it. 

O dearest Infant ! tell me what Thou earnest on 
earth to do ? Tell me whom Thou art seeking ? 
Ah, I understand Thee now ; Thou art come in order 
to die for me, to deliver me from hell. Thou art come 
to seek me, a lost sheep, in order that I may no more 
fly from Thee, but love Thee. Ah, my Jesus, my 
treasure, my life, my love, my all ; if I do not love 
Thee, whom, then, shall I love? Where can I find 
a father, a friend, a spouse more worthy of love than 
Thou, and who has loved me more than Thou hast 
done ? I am sorry to have been so many years in 
the world, and yet not to have loved Thee ; yea, 
rather to have offended and despised Thee. For- 
give me, O my beloved Redeemer ; for I repent of 
having treated Thee thus ; I am sorry for it with all 
my heart. Pardon me, and give me Thy grace, that 
I may never again separate myself from Thee, and 
that I may love Thee constantly during the years 
that remain to me in this life. My Love, I give 
myself entirely to Thee ; accept me, and do not re- 
ject me, though I deserve it. O Mary, thou art my 



Devotion to Our Lord Jestis Christ. 



427 



advocate ; thou dost obtain by thy prayers whatever 
thou wilt from thy*Son ; beg of Him to forgive me, 
and to give me holy perseverance unto death. 

£0 tfie Kirfaiit Semts as&inct for our ?geart + 

There are some who might desire to have the Holy Infant in their 
arms, as the aged Simeon had ; but faith teaches us that when we 
receive Communion the same Jesus Who was in the manger of Beth- 
lehem is not only in our arms, but rests on our hearts. 

■ ORD, what need I fear ? why should I not con- 
fide entirely in Thee, O my Saviour, Who 
wast born on purpose to save me ? " Behold, 
God is my Saviour ; I will put my trust in Him, and 
will not fear" (Isa. xii. 2). What greater proof 
couldst Thou give me of Thy mercy, O my dearest 
Redeemer, to inspire me with confidence, than to 
give me Thyself ? O my dear Infant, how grieved 
am I that I have offended Thee ! I have made Thee 
weep in the stable of Bethlehem. But since Thou 
art come to seek me, I throw myself at Thy feet ; 
and although I behold Thee afflicted and humbled, 
lying upon straw in the manger, I acknowledge Thee 
for my supreme King and Sovereign. I feel that 
Thy tender infant-cries invite me to love Thee, and 
demand my heart. Behold it, my Jesus ; I present 
it to-day at Thy feet; change it and inflame it, O 
Thou Who didst come into the world to inflame the 
hearts of men with Thy holy love. I feel as if I heard 
Thee say to me in Thy manger, " Love the Lord thy 
God with thy whole heart" (Matt. xxii. 37). And 
I will answer, Ah, my Jesus, if I do not love Thee, 
Who art my Lord and my God, whom shall I love ? 
Thou callest Thyself mine, because Thou wast born 
in order to give Thyself entirely to me; and shall I 
refuse to be Thine ? No, my beloved Lord : I give 
myself entirely to Thee ; and I love Thee with my 
whole heart. I love Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee, 
O Sovereign Good, the one only love of my soul. I 



428 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



beseech Thee accept me this day, and permit me not 
ever again to cease loving Thee. O Mary, my 
Queen, I pray thee, through that consolation which 
thou didst enjoy the first time thou didst behold thy 
new-born Son and didst give Him thy first kiss, be- 
seech Him to accept me for His servant, and to en- 
chain me forever to Himself by the gift of His holy 
love. 

<&ffmng of tijt if&ertts af tyt Infant Jfestts* 

We have offended God, and we thus merit being condemned to 
eternal death ; divine Justice requires satisfaction : what are we to 
do then ? Give way to despair? Ah ! no : let us offer to God this 
tender child, Who is His Son, and, filled with confidence, let us say: 

IJternal Father, I, a miserable sinner, worthy 
of hell, have nothing of my own to offer Thee 
in satisfaction for my sins ; I offer Thee the 
tears, the sufferings, the blood, the death, of this In- 
fant, Who is Thy Son ; and through them I implore 
pity from Thee. If I had not this Son to offer Thee, 
I should be lost ; there would be no longer any hope 
for me ; but Thou hast given Him to me for this 
purpose, in order that, in offering Thee His merits, 
I might have a good hope of my salvation. My in- 
gratitude, O Lord ! is great ; but Thy mercy is still 
greater. And what greater mercy could I hope for 
from Thee, than that Thou shouldst give me Thine 
own Son for my Redeemer, and for the Victim of 
my sins ? For the love, therefore, of Jesus Christ, 
forgive me all the offences that I have committed 
against Thee, of which I repent with my whole 
heart, because by them I have offended Thee, O In- 
finite Goodness. And for the sake of Jesus Christ, 
I ask of Thee holy perseverance. O my God, if I 
should again offend Thee, after Thou hast waited 
for me with so much patience ; after Thou hast as- 
sisted me with so much light, and forgiven me with 
so much love, — I should indeed deserve a special 
hell for myself. O my Father, do not forsake me, I 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



429 



pray Thee. Do Thou always give me the grace to 
repeat to Thee this prayer : " Permit me not to be 
separated from Thee." My Jesus, my dearest Infant, 
enchain me with Thy love. I love Thee, and will 
always love Thee. Permit me not to be ever again 
separated from Thy love. I love thee too, my 
Mother ; oh, do thou also love me. And if thou 
lovest me, this is the favor I beg thee to obtain for 
me, that I may never cease to love my God. 

£To $estts tooratppetr in StoatrMtm^clotfjes* 

Behold the Infant Jesus, Who, obedient in all things, stretches 
forth His little hands and feet, and allows Himself to be wrapped in 
swaddling-clothes in order to expiate the bad use we have made of 
our liberty. The bonds that we should take ought to be a firm resolu- 
tion of uniting ourselves to God by means of love. 

IpjftgglND what fear can I have of Thy chastisement, 



O my beloved Infant, now that I see Thee 



b oun( i i n swaddling-clothes, depriving Thy- 
self, as it were, of the power of raising Thy hands to 
punish me? Thou dost give me to understand by 
these bonds that Thou wilt not chastise me if I will 
detach myself from the chains of vice and bind my- 
self to Thee. Yes, my Jesus, I will bind myself. I 
repent with all my heart of having separated myself 
from Thee, by abusing that liberty which Thou hast 
given me. Thou dost offer me a more desirable 
liberty; a liberty which delivers me from the chains 
of the devil, and places me among the children of 
God. Thou hast given Thyself up to be imprisoned 
in these swaddling-clothes for the love of me ; I will 
be in future a prisoner of Thy infinite love. O blessed 
chains, O beautiful emblems of salvation, which bind 
souls to God, bind also my poor heart ; but bind it 
so fast that it may never in future be able to dis- 
engage itself from the love of this Sovereign Good. 
My Jesus, I love Thee ; I bind myself to Thee ; I give 
Thee my whole heart, my whole will. No, I will 
never leave Thee again, my beloved Lord. O Mary, 




43° Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



who didst one day bind in swaddling-clothes this 
thy innocent Son, I pray thee, do thou bind me also, 
a miserable sinner ; bind me to Jesus, so that I may 
never again separate myself from His feet, that I may 
always live and die bound to Him, so that one day I 
may have the happiness of entering into that blessed 
country where I shall never be able to detach myself 
from His holy love. 



How precious to us was that milk ! It was to be changed into 
blood in the veins of Jesus Christ, and so to be made by Him a bath 
of salvation, in which we might cleanse our souls ! Besides, Jesus 
took this milk in order to nourish the body which He wished to leave 
us as food in the holy Communion. 



my sweet and most amiable Infant, Thou art 



the Bread of heaven, and dost sustain the 



P^"! angels : Thou dost provide all creatures with 
food ; and yet how art Thou reduced to the necessity 
of begging a little milk from a virgin in order to 
preserve Thy life ! O divine Love, how couldst Thou 
reduce a God to such a state of poverty that He was 
in want of a little food ? But I understand Thee, O 
my Jesus ! Thou didst take milk from Mary in this 
stable to offer it to God changed into Blood on the 
cross as a sacrifice, and in satisfaction for our sins. 
Give, O Mary! give all the milk thou canst to this 
Son, because every drop of this milk will serve to 
wash out the sins of my soul, and to nourish it after- 
wards in the holy Communion. My beloved Re- 
deemer, give me, I pray Thee, a tender devotion to 
Thy holy Infancy, such as Thou hast given to so 
many souls, who, meditating on Thee, as an Infant, 
forgetting all else, seem unable to think of anything 
but loving Thee. It is true that they are innocent, 
and I am a sinner; but Thou didst become a child 
to make Thyself loved even by sinners. I have been 
such ; but now I love Thee with my whole heart, 
and I desire nothing but Thy love. O Infant, so 



£To $tmw tafcmjg some ptfift* 




Devotio?i to Our Lord Jesus Christ, 431 



dear to my heart, my Jesus, allow me to exclaim 
with the woman spoken of in the Gospel : " Blessed 
is the womb that bore Thee, and the paps that gave 
Thee suck" (Luke xi. 27). Yes, blessed art thou, O 
Mother of God, thou who didst give suck to the 
Incarnate Word. Ah ! may I be united with thy 
Son in receiving from thee the milk of a tender and 
affectionate devotion towards thee, my best loved 
Mother ! 

" I sleep and My heart watcheth" (Cant. v. 2). While Jesus slept, 
His soul was watching. He thought of all the sufferings He was 10 
endure, and offered them all to His Eternal Father for our pardon 
and salvation. 

Y beloved and holy Infant, Thou sleepest, and 
oh, how do Thy slumbers ravish my heart ! 
— With others sleep is the emblem of death ; 
but in Thee it is the sign of eternal life, because 
whilst Thou art sleeping Thou art meriting for me 
eternal salvation. Thou sleepest ; but Thy heart 
sleeps not, it is thinking of suffering and dying for 
me. Whilst Thou art slumbering Thou art praying 
for me, and obtaining for me from God the eternal 
rest of paradise. But before Thou dost carry me (as 
I hope) to repose with Thee in heaven, I desire that 
Thou shouldst repose forever in my soul. There 
was a time, O my God ! when I drove Thee away 
from me ; but I trust that, by means of knocking so 
often at the door of my heart, — sometimes by mak- 
ing it afraid, sometimes by enlightening it, sometimes 
by the voice of love, — Thou hast already obtained 
an entrance there. This, I say, is my hope, because 
I feel a great confidence that I have been forgiven 
by Thee ; I feel a great hatred and sorrow for the 
offences I have committed against Thee, sorrow- that 
causes me great regret ; but a sorrow of peace, a 
sorrow that comforts me and makes me hope most 
assuredly for pardon from Thy goodness. I thank 



432 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Thee, my Jesus, and I pray Thee never again to 
separate Thyself from my soul. I know indeed that 
Thou wilt not leave me, if I do not drive Thee away ; 
but this is the favor I ask of Thee (and I pray Thee 
to give me Thy assistance that I may always seek it 
of Thee), that Thou wouldst not permit me ever to 
drive Thee from me. Make me forget everything 
in order to think of Thee Who hast always thought 
of me and of my welfare. Make me always love Thee 
in this life, so that I may breathe forth my soul in 
Thy arms, united to Thee, and may repose eternally 
in Thee without fear of losing Thee again. O Mary, 
assist me in life and in death, so that Jesus may always 
repose in me, and that I may always repose in Jesus. 

Qto 3tB\xn toeejriuej in tjje Stafcie* 

Tears are a great sign of love. Therefore did the Jews say when 
they saw the Saviour weeping for the death of Lazarus: "'Behold 
how He loved him !" (John xi. 36.) Thus also might the angels have 
said on beholding the tears of the Infant Jesus: "Behold how our 
God loved men I" Jesus wept for love, but He also wept for grief on 
beholding so many sinners despising His grace. 

1jnsg71 Y beloved Infant, whilst Thou wast weeping 
SfflS * n t ^ ie sta bl e °f Bethlehem, Thou wast think- 
-^"^1 ing of me ; beholding even then my sins, 
which were* the cause of Thy tears. And have I, 
then, O my Jesus ! instead of consoling Thee by my 
love and gratitude at the thought of what Thou hast 
suffered to save me, have I increased Thy sorrow 
and the cause of Thy tears? If I had sinned less, 
Thou wouldst have wept less. Weep, oh, weep, for 
Thou hast cause to weep in seeing man's great in- 
gratitude for Thy great love. But Thou weepest, 
weep also for me ; Thy tears are my hope. I also 
will weep for the offences I have committed against 
Thee, O my Redeemer ! I hate them, I detest them, 
I repent of them with my whole heart. I weep for 
all those days and those wretched nights of mine in 
which I lived as Thy enemy, deprived of Thy beauts 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



433 



ful face ; but what would my tears avail, O my Jesus* 
without Thine ! 

Eternal Father, I offer Thee the tears of the Infant 
Jesus ; for their sake forgive me. And Thou, my 
dearest Saviour, offer to Him all the tears that Thou 
didst shed for me during Thy life, and with them 
appease His anger against me. I beseech Thee also, 
O my Love, to soften my heart by these tears, and 
to inflame it with Thy holy love. Oh, that I could 
from this day forth console Thee by my love for all the 
pain I have caused Thee by offending Thee ! Grant, 
therefore, O Lord ! that the days that remain to me 
in this life may not any more be spent in offending 
Thee, but in weeping for the offences I have com- 
mitted against Thee, and in loving Thee with all the 
affections of my soul. O Mary! I beseech thee, by 
that tender compassion which, thou didst so often 
feel at the sight of the Infant Jesus in tears, obtain 
for me a constant sorrow for the offences of which I 
have so ungratefully been guilty against Him. 

2To #esus atroretr bv tfje &&isz ffitu* 

The Wise Men adore the Infant Jesus, acknowledging- Him as their 
God. kissing- His feet, and offering Him their gifts of gold, frankin- 
cense, and myrrh. Let us also with the holy Magi adore our little 
King Jesus, and let us offer Him all our hearts. 

|I«gg§| amiable Infant! though I see Thee in this 



cavern lying on straw, poor and despised, 



v&*~^\ yet faith teaches me that Thou art my God, 
Who earnest down from heaven for my salvation. I 
acknowledge Thee, then, for my Sovereign Lord and 
Saviour ; but I have nothing, alas ! to offer Thee. 
I have no gold of love, because I have loved creat- 
ures ; I have loved my own caprices, but I have not 
loved Thee, Thou Who art worthy of infinite love ! 
I have not the incense of prayer, because I have 
lived in a miserable state of forgetfulness of Thee. 
I have no myrrh of mortification, for I have often 
displeased Thy infinite goodness that I might not 




434 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



be deprived of my miserable pleasures. What, then, 
shall I offer Thee ? I offer Thee my heart, filthy and 
poor as it is ; do Thou accept it, and change it. 
Thou earnest into the world for this purpose, to 
wash the hearts of men from their sins by Thy 
Blood, and thus change them from sinners into 
saints. Give me, therefore, I pray Thee, this gold, 
this incense, and this myrrh. Give me the gold of 
Thy holy love ; give me the spirit of holy prayer ; 
give me the desire and strength to mortify myself in 
everything that displeases Thee. I am resolved to 
obey Thee and to love Thee ; but Thou knowest my 
weakness, oh, give me the grace to be faithful to 
Thee ! Most holy Virgin, thou who didst welcome 
with such affection and didst console the holy Magi, 
do thou welcome and console me also, who come to 
visit thy Son and to offer myself to Him. O my 
Mother, I have great confidence in thy intercession ! 
Do thou recommend me to Jesus. To thee do I in- 
trust my soul and my will ; bind it forever to the 
love of Jesus ! 

Eo Sesus ffmng into 3BQ$pU 

Herod is a figure of those miserable sinners who, as soon as they 
see Jesus Christ born again in their souls by the pardon of sin, perse- 
cute Him to death by returning to their sins. 

■ Y dear Jesus, Thou art the King of heaven, but 
now I behold Thee as an infant wandering 
— - over the earth ; tell me of whom art Thou in 
search ? I pity Thee when I see Thee so poor and 
humbled ; but I pity Thee more when I see Thee 
treated with such ingratitude by those same men 
whom Thou earnest to save. Thou dost weep ; but 
I also weep, because I have been one of those who 
in times past have despised and persecuted Thee. 
But now I value Thy grace more than all the king- 
doms of the world ; forgive me, O my Jesus ! all the 
evil I have committed against Thee, and permit me 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 435 



to carry Thee always in my heart during the journey 
of my life to eternity, even as Mary carried Thee in 
her arms during the flight into Egypt. My beloved 
Redeemer, I have many times driven Thee out of 
my soul ; but now I hope that Thou hast again taken 
possession of it. I beseech Thee, do Thou bind it 
to Thyself with the sweet chains of Thy love. I love 
Thee, O Infinite Goodness ; and I will always repeat 
to Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee, I love Thee. O 
my Jesus ! Thou art so good, so worthy of being 
loved, oh, do Thou make Thyself loved ; make Thy- 
self loved by all the sinners who persecute Thee ; 
give them light, make them know the love Thou 
hast borne them, and the love that Thou deservest 
since Thou goest wandering about the earth as a 
poor Infant, weeping and trembling with cold, and 
seeking souls to love Thee ! O Mary, most holy 
Virgin, O dearest Mother and companion of the 
sufferings of Jesus, do thou help me, in life and in 
death, ever to bear thy Son in my heart. 

&o itous trtodlms in 3Exilz* 

Jesus passed His first years in Egypt, in order that He might lead a 
less easy life and be more despised. 

Holy Infant, Who livest in this country of 
barbarians poor, unknown, and despised, I 
acknowledge Thee for my God and Saviour, 
and I thank Thee for all the humiliations and suffer- 
ings Thou didst endure in Egypt for the love of me. 
By Thy manner of life there Thou dost teach me to 
live as a pilgrim on this earth, giving me to under- 
stand that this is not my country, but that my home 
is that paradise which Thou hast purchased for me 
by Thy death. Ah, my Jesus, I have been ungrate- 
ful to Thee because I have thought but little of what 
Thou hast done and suffered for me. When I think 
that Thou, the Son of God, didst lead a life of such 
tribulation upon this earth, being poor and neglect- 



436 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

ed, how is it possible that I should go about seeking 
the amusements and good things of the earth ? Take 
me, I pray Thee, my dear Redeemer, for Thy com- 
panion ; admit me to living always united with Thee 
upon this earth, in order that, united with Thee in 
heaven, I may love Thee there, and be Thy com- 
panion throughout eternity. Give me light, increase 
my faith. What are goods, pleasures, dignities, 
honors? All is vanity and folly. The only real 
riches, the only real good, is to possess Thee, Who 
art the Infinite Good. Blessed is he who loveth 
Thee ! I love Thee, O my Jesus, and I seek none 
other but Thee. I desire Thee, and Thou desirest 
me. If I had a thousand kingdoms, I would re- 
nounce them all to please Thee, " my God and my 
All." If in times past I have sought after the vani- 
ties and pleasures of this world, I now detest them, 
and am sorry that I have ever done so. My beloved 
Saviour, from this day forward Thou shalt be my 
only delight, my only love, my only treasure. Most 
holy Mary, pray to Jesus for me; beseech Him to 
make me rich in His love alone, and I desire nothing 
else. 

5To %t%\\% returning into Palestine* 

Poor soul, says Jesus, break these horrible chains which bind thee 
to hell ; let thyself be bound to Me by golden chains, chains of love, 
chains of price, chains of salvation. 

jPj|||]]ELOVED and adored Child, Thou dost return to 
S iSll country ; but where, O God, where dost 

g' "SI Thou return ? Thou comest to that place 
where Thy countrymen prepare for Thee insults 
during life, and then scourges, thorns, ignominy, and 
a cross at Thy death. But all was already present 
to Thy divine eyes, O my Jesus! and yet Thou 
comest of Thine own will to meet that Passion which 
men prepare for Thee. But, my Redeemer, if Thou 
hadst not come to die for me, I could not go to love 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 437 



Thee in paradise, but must have always remained 
far away from Thee. Thy death hath been my salva- 
tion. But how is it, Lord, that by despising Thy 
grace I have again condemned myself to hell, even 
after Thy death, by which Thou didst deliver me 
from it? I acknowledge that hell is but a slight 
punishment for me. But Thou hast waited to par- 
don me. I thank Thee for it, O my Redeemer, and 
I repent, and detest all the offences I have commit- 
ted against Thee. O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver 
me from hell. Ah, if I were miserable enough to 
merit damnation, how would my torments in hell be 
increased by the remorse caused by having, during 
my life, known the love Thou didst bear me ! It 
would not be so much the fire of hell as Thy love, O 
my Jesus, that would be my hell. But Thou didst 
come into the world to kindle the fire of Thy holy 
love ; I desire to burn with this fire, and not with 
that which would keep me forever separated from 
Thee. I repeat, therefore, O my Jesus ! deliver me 
from hell, because in hell I cannot love Thee. O 
Mary, my Mother ! I hear it everywhere said and 
preached that those who love thee and trust in thee, 
provided they desire to amend their lives, will not 
go to hell. I love thee, my Lady, and I trust in 
thee ; I will amend my life : O Mary, do thou re- 
member to deliver me from hell ! 



#csus increasing tn 8LQt> 

"Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and in grace with God and 
men" (Luke ii. 52). Oh, how Jesus, as He grew in age, showed 
Himself more and more amiable every day, showing more and more 
the claims He had upon men's love ! 

row, my beloved Jesus, grow continually for 
me ; grow to teach me Thy virtues by Thy 
' divine example; grow to consummate the 
great sacrifice on the cross, on which depends my 



43§ Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

eternal salvation ! Grant also, my Saviour, that I 
too may grow more in Thy love and grace. Miser- 
able that I have been, I have hitherto only increased 
in ingratitude towards Thee Who hast loved me so 
much. O my Jesus, grant that in future it may be 
just the contrary with me ; Thou knowest all my 
weakness, it is from Thee that I must receive light 
and strength. Make me know the claims which 
Thou hast to my love. Thou art a God of infinite 
beauty and of infinite majesty, Who didst not refuse 
to come down upon this earth and become man for 
us, and for our sakes to lead an abject and painful 
life, and to end it by a most cruel death. And where 
can we ever find an object more amiable and more 
worthy of love than Thee ? Fool that I was, in 
times past I refused to know Thee, and therefore I 
have lost Thee. I implore Thy pardon ; I am heartily 
sorry, and I am determined to be entirely devoted to 
Thee in future. But do Thou assist me ; remind me 
constantly of the life of suffering and the bitter 
death Thou hast endured for the love of me. Give 
me life and give me strength. When the devil pre- 
sents to me forbidden fruit, grant me strength to de- 
spise it ; and let me not for some vile and moment- 
ary good risk losing Thee, O Infinite Good. I love 
Thee, my Jesus, Who hast died for me ; I love Thee, 
Infinite Goodness ; I love Thee, O Beloved of my 
soul. O Mary, thou art my hope; through thy in- 
tercession I hope to obtain grace to love my God 
from this time forth and forever more, and never to 
love any but God. 

&o Semis tocrrfcws for Jfyin 3iatl£ ISreartr* 

Until the age of thirty Jesus held no other office than that of a sim- 
ple shop-boy, being - obedient to Joseph and Mary. And He was sub- 
ject to them. Jesus went to fetch the water; Jesus opened and shut 
up the shop ; Jesus swept the house; He collected the fragments of 
wood for the fire, and worked all day, helping Joseph in His labors. 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



439 



O wonder ! A God serving as a boy ! a God sweeping - the house ! a 
God working- and sweating to plane a piece of wood ! 



my adorable Infant, I see Thee an humble 



servant-boy working even in the sweat of 



l Bag 3 1 Thy brow in this poor shop. I understand 
it all : Thou art serving and working for me. But 
since Thou dost employ Thy whole life for the love 
of me, so grant, I pray Thee, my dear Saviour, that 
I may employ all the rest of my life for Thy love. 
Look not at my past life : it has been a life of sor- 
row and tears both for me and for Thee, — a life of 
disorder, a life of sins. Oh, permit me at least to 
keep Thee company during the remainder of my 
days, and to labor and suffer with Thee in the shop 
of Nazareth, and afterwards to die with Thee on 
Calvary, embracing that death which Thou hast 
destined for me. My dear Jesus, my love, suffer me 
not to leave and forsake Thee again, as I have done 
in times past. Thou, my God, art suffering such 
poverty in a shop, hidden, unknown, and despised; 
and I, a vile worm, have gone about seeking honors 
and pleasures, and for the sake of these have separated 
myself from Thee, O Sovereign Good ! No, my Jesus, 
I love Thee; and because I love Thee, I will not 
remain any longer separated from Thee. I renounce 
all things, in order to unite myself to Thee, my hid- 
den and despised Redeemer. Thy grace gives me 
more happiness than have all the vanities and pleas- 
ures of the world, for which I have so miserably for- 
saken Thee. Eternal Father, for the merits of Jesus 
Christ, unite me to Thyself by the gift of Thy holy 
love. Most holy Virgin, how blessed wast thou, 
who, being the companion of thy Son in His poor 
and hidden life, didst make thyself so like to thy 
Jesus ! O my Mother, grant that I also, at least 
during the short remainder of my life, may en- 
deavor to become like to thee and to my Redeemer. 




44° Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



There is no sorrow on earth to be compared to that experienced 
by a soul that loves Jesus, and fears that Jesus has withdrawn from 
it through some fault of its own. This was the sorrow of Mary and 
Joseph, which afflicted them so much during these days ; for they 
perhaps feared, through their humility, as says the devout Lans- 
pergius, that they had rendered themselves unworthy of the care of 
such a treasure. 



Mary, thou weepest because thou hast lost 



thy Son for a few days ; He has withdrawn 



l^™ 3 ! Himself from thy eyes, but not from thy 
heart. Dost thou not see that that pure love with 
which thou lovest Him keeps Him constantly united 
and bound to thee ? Thou knowest well that he 
who loves God cannot but be loved by God, Who 
says: " I love those that love Me" (Prov. viii. 17) ; 
and with St. John : " He that abideth in charity 
abideth in God, and God in him" (1 John iv. 16). 
Wherefore, then, dost thou fear? Wherefore dost 
thou weep ? Leave these tears to me, who have so 
often lost God through my own fault by driving Him 
away from my soul. O my Jesus ! how could I 
offend Thee thus with my eyes open, when I knew 
that by sinning I should lose Thee ? But Thou 
wiliest not that the heart that seeks Thee should 
despair, but rather that it should rejoice : " Let the 
heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord " (Ps. civ. 3). 
If hitherto I have forsaken Thee, O my Love, I will 
now seek Thee, and none but Thee. And provided 
I possess Thy grace, I renounce all the goods and 
pleasures of this world ; I renounce even my own 
life. Thou hast said that Thou lovest him who 
loveth Thee ; I love Thee, do Thou also love me. I 
esteem Thy love more than the dominion of the 
whole world. O my Jesus, I desire not to lose Thee 
any more ; but I cannot trust to myself, I trust in 
Thee: "In Thee, O Lord, have I put my trust ; I 
shall not be confounded forever" (Ps. xxx. 6). I be- 
seech Thee, do Thou bind me to Thee, and permit 



2To Sznun lost in tjje Qttmptt. 




Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



441 



me not to be again separated from Thee. O Mary ! 
through thee have I found my God, Whom I had 
once Tost; do thou obtain for me also holy perse- 
verance ; wherefore I will also say to thee with St. 
Bonaventure : " In thee, O Lady, have I hoped ; let 
me not be confounded forever.'' 



DEVOTION TO THE HOLY NAME OF JESUS. 

If we are in affliction, let us invoke Jesus, and He will console us 
If we are tempted, let us invoke Jesus, and He will give us strength 
to withstand all our enemies. If, lastly, we are in aridity, and are 
cold in divine love, let us invoke Jesus, and He will inflame our 
hearts. Happy are they who have this most tender and holy name 
always on their lips ! A name of peace, a name of hope, a name of 
salvation, and a name of love. 

|lNCE, then, O my Jesus ! Thou art the Saviour 
Who hast given Thy Blood and Thy life for 
me. I pray Thee to write Thy adorable name 
on my poor heart ; so that having it always there 
imprinted by love, I may also have it ever on my 
lips, by invoking it in ail my necessities. If the devil 
tempts me. Thy name will give me strength to resist 
him ; if I lose confidence, Thy name will animate 
me to hope ; if I am in affliction, Thy name will com- 
fort me by reminding me of all Thou didst endure 
for me. If I find myself cold in Thy love, Thy name 
will inflame me by reminding me of the love Thou 
bast shown me. If I have hitherto fallen into so 
many sins, it is because I did not call on Thee ; from 
henceforth Thy name shall be my defence, my refuge, 
my hope, my only consolation, my only love. Thus 
do I hope to live, and so do I hope to die, having 
Thy name always on my lips. 

Most holy Virgin, obtain for me the grace of in- 
voking the name of thy Son Jesus in all my neces- 
sities together with thine own, my Mother Mary ; 
but let me invoke them always with confidence and 
love. O my beloved Jesus ! O Mary, my beloved 
Lady! give me the grace to suffer and to die for 



44 2 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year* 

love of you. I will be no longer mine own, but 
altogether yours; yours in life, and yours in death, 
when I hope by your help to expire saying, Jesus 
and Mary, help me ! Jesus and Mary, I recommend 
myself to you ; Jesus and Mary, I love you, and I 
give and deliver up to you my whole soul. 

DEVOTION TO THE PASSION. 

Stagers to Jtesus tfje i&ertt of txtf) particular 
Pant tofncf) ?t?e sufferetr in J^ts JPassuim 

(^HH MY J esus • *-h.a.t humiliation which Thou 



KyBJ didst practise in washing the feet of Thy 
disciples, I pray Thee to bestow upon me 
the grace of true humility, so that I may humble 
myself to all, especially to such as treat me with 
contempt. 

My Jesus, by that sorrow which Thou didst suffer 
in the Garden, sufficient, as it was, to cause Thy 
death, I pray Thee to deliver me from the sorrow of 
hell, from living for evermore at a distance from 
Thee, and without the power of ever loving Thee 
again. 

My Jesus, by that horror which Thou hadst of my 
sins, which were then present to Thy sight, give me 
a true sorrow for all the offences which I have com- 
mitted against Thee. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst experi- 
ence at seeing Thyself betrayed by Judas with a kiss, 
give me the grace to be ever faithful unto Thee, and 
nevermore to betray Thee, as I have done in time 
past. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst feel at 
seeing Thyself bound like a culprit to be taken before 
the judges, I pray Thee to bind me to Thyself by the 
sweet chains of holy love, that so I may nevermore 
see myself separated from Thee, my only Good. 




Devotion to Our Lord yesus Christ. 



443 



My Jesus, by all those insults, bufferings, and spit- 
tings which Thou didst on that night suffer in the 
house of Caiphas, give me the strength to suffer in 
peace, for love of Thee, all the affronts which I shall 
meet with from men. 

My Jesus, by that ridicule which Thou didst re- 
ceive from Herod in being treated as a fool, give me 
the grace to endure with patience all that men shall 
say of me, treating me as base, senseless, or wicked. 

My Jesus, by that outrage which Thou didst re- 
ceive from the Jews in seeing Thyself placed after 
Barabbas, give me the grace to suffer with patience 
the dishonor of seeing myself placed after others. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in 
Thy most holy Body when Thou wast so cruelly 
scourged, give me the grace to suffer with patience 
all the pains of my sicknesses, and especially those 
of my death. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in 
Thy most sacred Head when it was pierced with 
the thorns, give me the grace never to consent to 
thoughts displeasing unto Thee. 

My Jesus, by that act of Thine by which Thou 
didst accept of the death of the cross to which 
Pilate condemned Thee, give me the grace to accept 
of my death with resignation, together with all the 
other pains which shall accompany it. 

My Jesus, by the pain which Thou didst suffer in 
carrying Thy cross on Thy journey to Calvary, give 
me the grace to suffer with patience all my crosses 
in this life. 

My JesrJs, by that pain which Thou didst suffer in 
having the nails driven through Thy hands and Thy 
feet, I pray Thee to nail my will unto Thy feet, 
that so I may will nothing save that which Thou 
dost will. % 

My Jesus, by the affliction which Thou didst suffer 



444 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Yeaf. 

in having gall given Thee to drink, give me the grace 
not to offend Thee by intemperance in eating and 
drinking. 

My Jesus, by that pain which Thou didst experi- 
ence in taking leave of Thy holy Mother upon the 
cross, deliver me from an inordinate love of my 
relatives, or of any other creature, that so my heart 
may be wholly and always Thine. 

My Jesus, by that desolation which Thou didst 
suffer In Thy death in seeing Thyself abandoned by 
Thy Eternal Father, give me the grace to suffer all 
my desolations with patience, without ever losing 
my confidence in Thy goodness. 

My Jesus, by those three hours of affliction and 
agony which Thou didst suffer when dying upon the 
cross, give me the grace to suffer with resignation, 
for love of Thee, the pains of my agony at the hour 
of death. 

My Jesus, by that great sorrow which Thou didst 
feel when Thy most holy Soul, as Thou wast ex- 
piring, separated itself from Thy most sacred Body, 
give me the grace to breathe forth my soul in the 
hour of my death, offering up my sorrow then to 
Thee, together with an act of perfect love, that so I 
may go to love Thee in heaven, face to face, with all 
my strength, and for all eternity. 

And thee, most holy Virgin, and My Mother Mary, 
by that sword which pierced thy heart when thou 
didst behold thy Son bow down His head and expire, 
do I pray to assist me in the hour of my death, that 
so I may come to praise thee and to thank thee in 
paradise for all the graces that thou hast obtained 
for me from God. 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 445 



£0 $rsus our £*ootr ^Jjepfjrrtr* 

But who has ever seen such an example, the shepherd dying for his 
sheep, the Creator for His creatures ! 

^ Y Jesus, what Shepherd has ever given His 
life for His sheep ? Thou alone, because 
Thou art a God of infinite love, canst say, 
" And I lay down My life for My sheep" (John x. 15). 
Thou alone hast been able to show to the world this 
excess of love that, being our God and our supreme 
Lord, Thou hast yet willed to die for us. It was of 
this excess of love that Moses and Elias spoke on 
Mount Tabor : " They spoke of His decease that He 
should accomplish in Jerusalem" (Luke ix. 31). 
Hence St. John exhorts us to love a God Who was 
the first to love us : " Let us therefore love God be- 
cause God first hath loved us"(i John iv. 19). As if 
He said, If we will not love this God for His infinite 
goodness, let us love Him at least for the love that 
He has borne us in suffering willingly the pains that 
were due to us. 

Remember, then, my Jesus, that I am one of those 
sheep for whom Thou hast given Thy life. Ah, cast 
on me one of those looks of pity with which Thou 
didst regard me once when Thou wast dying on the 
cross for me ; look on me, change me, and save me. 
Thou hast called Thyself the loving Shepherd Who, 
finding the lost sheep, takes it with joy and carries 
it on His shoulders, and then calls His friends to 
rejoice with Him : " Rejoice with me, for I have 
found the sheep that was lost " (Luke xv. 6). Be- 
hold, I am the lost sheep ; seek me and find me : 
"I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost; seek 
Thy servant " (Ps. cxviii. 176). If through my fault 
Thou hast not yet found me, take me now and unite 
me and bind me to Thee, that Thou mayest not lose 
me again. The bond must be that of Thy love ; if 
Thou dost not bind me with this sweet chain Thou 



446 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year* 



wilt again lose me. Ah, it is not Thou Who didst 
neglect to bind me by holy love ; but I, an ungrateful 
wretch, who did continually flee from Thee. But 
now I pray Thee, by that infinite mercy which 
caused Thee to come down to the earth to find me, 
ah, bind me ; but bind me with a double chain of 
love, that Thou mayest not lose me again, and that 
I may no more lose Thee. I renounce all the goods 
and pleasures of the world, and offer myself to 
suffer every pain and death, provided that I live 
and die always united to Thee. I love Thee, my 
sweet Jesus ; I love Thee, my good Shepherd, Who 
hast died for Thy lost sheep ; but know that this 
sheep now loves Thee more than himself, and de- 
sires nothing but to love Thee and to be consumed 
by Thy love. Have pity on him, then, and permit 
him never again to be separated from Thee. 

Jesus in tfje Garten of <£ltbes* 

Our afflicted Lord, during His agony in the garden, exclaimed : 
" Is this, O men, the reward that you render Me for My immeasur- 
able love ?" 

|]ternal Father, look on the face of Thy 
Christ" (Ps. xxxiii. 10) : look not on my in- 
iquities ; behold this, Thy beloved Son. 
trembling, agonizing, and sweating blood in order to 
obtain Thy pardon for me. " And His sweat became 
as drops of blood, trickling down upon the ground " 
(Luke xxii. 44). Behold me, and have pity on me, 
But, my Jesus, in this garden there are not execu- 
tioners to scourge Thee, nor thorns, nor nails to tor- 
ture Thee ; what, then, extracts so much blood from 
Thee ? Ah, I understand Thee : it was not the fore- 
sight of Thy approaching sufferings that then af- 
flicted Thee so grievously ; for to these pains Thou 
didst spontaneously offer Thyself : " He was offered 
because it was His own will " (Isa. liii. 7). It was 



Devotio?i to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



447 



the sight of my sins ; these were the cruel press 
which forced so much blood from Thy sacred veins. 
Hence, it was not the executioners, nor the nails, nor 
the thorns, that were cruel and barbarous in Thy re- 
regard : no, my sins, which made Thee so sorrowful 
in the garden, have been barbarous and cruel to 
Thee, my sweet Redeemer. Then, in Thy great af- 
fliction, I too have added to Thy sorrows, and have 
grievously afflicted Thee by the weight of my sins. 
Had I been guilty of fewer sins, Thou wouldst have 
suffered less. Behold, then, the return I have made 
for Thy love in dying for me. I have added to Thy 
great sufferings ! My beloved Lord, I repent of hav- 
ing offended Thee, I am sorry for my sins, but my 
sorrow is not sufficiently great ; I would wish for 
sorrow that would take away my life. Ah, through 
the bitter Agony which Thou didst suffer in the Gar- 
den, give me a portion of that abhorrence which 
Thou didst then feel for my sins. And if my in- 
gratitude was then a cause of affliction to Thee, 
grant that I may now please Thee by my love. Yes, 
my Jesus. I love Thee with my whole heart. I love 
Thee more than myself, and for Thy love I renounce 
all the pleasures and goods of this earth. Thou 
alone art, and shalt always be, my only good and my 
only love. 

Zo Srsus fcnncj; scourcjctr* 

"Ah ! let us love this divine Bridegroom of our souls," says the lov- 
ing St. Augustine, "'and the more He is disfigured by suffering, the 
more sweet and precious let Him seem -to us." 

^es. my sweet Saviour. I see Thee all covered 
with wounds; I look into Thy beautiful 
face ; but, O my God, it no longer wears its 

beautiful appearance, but is disfigured and blackened 
with blood, and bruises, and shameful spittings : 
"There is no beauty in Him, nor comeliness; and 



448 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



we beheld Him, and esteemed Him not" (Isa. liii. 
2). But the more I see Thee so disfigured, O my 
Lord, the more beautiful and lovely dost Thou ap- 
pear to me. And what are these disfigurements that 
I behold but signs of the tenderness of that love 
which Thou dost bear towards me ? I love Thee, 
my Jesus, thus wounded and torn to pieces for me ; 
would that I too could see myself torn to pieces for 
Thee, like so many martyrs whose portion this has 
been ! But if I cannot offer Thee wounds and 
blood, I offer Thee at least all the pains which it will 
be my lot to suffer. I offer Thee my heart ; with 
this I desire to love Thee more tenderly even than I 
am really able. And who is there that my soul 
should love more tenderly than a God, Who has en- 
dured scourging and been drained of His blood for 
me? I love Thee, O God of love ! I love Thee, O 
Infinite Goodness ! I love Thee, O my Love, my 
All ! I love Thee, and I will never cease to say, 
both in this life and in the* other, I love Thee, I love 
Thee, I love Thee. Amen. 



Eo $zsun trotonetr fcottf) Qfyovm. 

Our sins, our evil thoughts, were the wicked thorns which pierced 
the head of Jesus Christ. 

sinful thoughts of men ! it was you that 
pierced the head of the Redeemer. Yes, my 

1 Jesus, by our criminal consent to sin we have 

formed Thy crown of thorns. I now detest this 
compliance with sin, and abhor it more than death 
or any other evil. To you, O thorns, consecrated 
with the blood of the Son of God, I again turn with 
an humble heart; ah, pierce this soul of mine, make 
it always sorrowful for having offended so good a 
God. O my afflicted Saviour ! O King of the world ! 
to what do I see Thee reduced ? I behold Thee a 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 449 



king of mockery and sorrow ! In a word, I see Thee 
the laughing-stock of all Jerusalem ! From the 
wounded head of Our Lord streams of blood flow 
down His face and breast. I am filled with aston- 
ishment, O my Jesus ! at the cruelty of Thy enemies, 
who are not content with having, as it were, excori- 
ated Thy flesh from head to foot, but still continue 
to torment Thee with fresh cruelties and insults ; 
but I admire still more Thy meekness and Thy love 
in suffering and accepting all with so much patience 
for the love of us : " Who when He was reviled, did 
not revile ; when He suffered, He threatened not ; 
but delivered Himself to him that judged Him un- 
justly" (1 Peter ii. 23). Ah, my Jesus, true, indeed, 
it is that love makes Thee sweet and merciful, as re- 
gards us, showing Thee to be a passionate lover of 
our souls ; but it makes Thee pitiless towards Thy- 
self, causing Thee to suffer such bitter torments. 
Thou wast willing to be crowned with thorns to ob- 
tain for us a crown of glory in heaven : " He was 
crowned with thorns, that we may be crowned with 
the crown that is to be given to the elect in heaven." 
O my sweetest Saviour, I hope to be Thy crown in 
paradise, obtaining my salvation through the merits 
of Thy sufferings ; there will I forever praise Thy 
love and Thy mercies : " The mercies of the Lord 
will I forever sing; yea, I will sing them forever." 



£0 Sosus carrmus Jgts Cross* 

Jesus goeth before us, as our Captain, with His cross; under this 
standard we must follow Him, each bearing- his own cross. 

Y Jesus, since God has burdened Thee with all 
the sins of men, my sins, alas ! have added 
to the weight of the cross that Thou didst 
bear to Calvary. Ah, my sweetest Saviour, Thou 
didst even then foresee all the wrongs that I should 
do Thee : yet Thou didst not cease to love me, or 



450 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

to prepare for me all the mercies that Thou hast 
since employed towards me. If, then, I, a most vile 
and ungrateful sinner who has so much offended 
Thee, am dear to Thee, it is but just that Thou 
shouldst be dear to me, — Thou, my God, Who art 
infinite in beauty and goodness, and Who hast loved 
me so much. Ah, would that I had never displeased 
Thee ! Now, my Jesus, do I know the wrong that I 
have done Thee. O ye accursed sins of mine, what 
have you done? You have caused me to sadden the 
loving heart of my Redeemer. Thou dost go before 
me with Thy cross, innocent as Thou art, and dost 
invite me to follow Thee with mine ; go forward, 
then, for I will not abandon Thee. If, in time past, 
I have abandoned Thee, I confess that I have done 
wrong. Give me now whatever cross Thou wilt, 
and, whatsoever it may be, I will embrace it and ac- 
company Thee with it even unto death : " Let us go 
forth from the camp, bearing His reproach." And 
how, O Lord, how can it be possible for us not to 
love sufferings and shame out of love for Thee, since 
Thou didst love them so well for our salvation ? 
But since Thou dost invite us to follow Thee, it is 
our wish to follow Thee and to die with Thee : give 
us only the strength to carry out our desire. This 
strength we ask of Thee, and hope for by Thy mer- 
its. I love Thee, O my Jesus, I love Thee with all 
my soul, and I will never abandon Thee more; too 
long have I gone astray from Thee. Bind me now to 
Thy cross. If I have despised Thy love, I repent of 
it with all my heart ; and I now prize it above every 
good. Help me, O my Jesus, to be ever making acts 
of love towards Thee, and to depart out of this life 
while making an act of love, that so I may arrive at 
loving Thee without imperfection and without in- 
terruption, and with all my powers, to all eternity. 
Q Mother of God, pray for me. Amen. 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 45 1 



Qto Srsus natletr to tfje <£ross* 

The wounds of Jesus are wounds which soften the hardest hearts 
and inflame the most frozen souls. 

H, my Jesus, what was it that nailed Thy Hands 
and Thy Feet to this wood but the love Thou 
didst bear to men ? Thou, by the pain of 
Thy pierced Hands, wast willing to pay the penalty 
due to all the sins of touch that men have committed ; 
and, by the pain of Thy Feet, Thou wast willing to 
pay for all the steps by which we have gone our way 
to offend Thee. O my crucified Love, with these 
pierced Hands give me Thy benediction ! Oh, nail 
this ungrateful heart of mine to Thy Feet, that so I 
may no more depart from Thee, and that this will 
of mine, which has so often rebelled against Thee, 
may remain ever steadily fixed in Thy love. Grant 
that nothing else but Thy love, and the desire of 
pleasing Thee, may move me. Although I behold 
Thee suspended upon this gibbet, I believe Thee to 
be the Lord of the world, the true Son of God, and 
the Saviour of mankind. For pity's sake, O my 
Jesus, never abandon me again at any period of my 
life ; and more especially at the hour of my death, in 
those last agonies and struggles with hell, do Thou 
assist me, and strengthen me to die in Thy love. I 
love Thee, my crucified Love, I love Thee with all 
my heart. 

Eo $esus treatr on tfje (£vobs. 

Had He not loved me He would not have died for me ! 

Saviour of the world, O my Jesus, behold to 
what Thy love for men has at length reduced 
Thee ! I thank Thee that Thou hast been 
willing, Thou, Our God, to lose Thy life that we 
might not lose our souls. I thank Thee for all men, 
but especially for myself. And who is there more 
than I that hag reaped the fruits of Thy death ? I, 





452 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



through Thy merits, without even so much as know- 
ing it, was, by baptism, made a child of the Church ; 
through Thy love my sins have been often forgiven, 
and I have received many special graces ; through 
Thee I have the hope of dying in the grace of God, 
and of loving Thee eternally in paradise. 

O my beloved Redeemer, what gratitude do I not 
owe Thee ! Into Thy pierced hands I commend my 
poor soul. Make me well understand the excess of 
that love which made God die for me : would that I 
could die for Thee ! But what would the death of a 
wicked slave weigh against the death of his Lord 
and God ? Would that I could, at least, love Thee 
with my whole heart ; but without Thy help, O my 
Jesus, I can do nothing. Oh, help me ! and, through 
the merits of Thy death, make me die to all earthly 
affections, that so I may love Thee only, Who dost 
deserve all my love. I love Thee, O Infinite Good- 
ness. I love Thee, my chief Good. O Mary, my 
Mother, intercede for me. Amen. 

^ttitiom to Sestts mtciffetr* 

IparagglH, my crucified Jesus, look on me with the 
Aw same love with which Thou didst look on 
[ WsM&l me w hen dying on the cross for me ; look on 
me, and have pity on me ; give me a general pardon 
for all the displeasure I have given Thee ; give me 
holy perseverance ; give me Thy holy love ; give me 
a perfect conformity to Thy will ; give me paradise, 
that I may love Thee there forever. I deserve no- 
thing; but Thy wounds encourage me to hope for 
every good from Thee. Ah, Jesus of my soul, by 
that love which made Thee die for me, give me Thy 
love. Take away from me all affection to creatures, 
give me resignation in tribulation, and make Thy- 
self the object of all my affections, that from this day 
forward I may love none other but Thee. 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus; Christ. 



453 



■grayrr in ^ouor of ti)t precious 33Ioo*r. 

IjJaSJlO, then, my Jesus, in order to save my soul, 
Thou hast prepared a bath of Thine own 
Blood wherein to cleanse it from the filth of 
its sins. If, then, our souls have been bought by 
Thy Blood, " For you are bought with a great price" 
(i Cor. vi. 20"), it is a sign that Thou lovest them 
much ; and as Thou dost love them, let us pray thus 
to Thee: "We therefore pray Thee to help Thy 
servants, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy pre- 
cious Blood." It is true that by my sins I have sep- 
arated myself from Thee, and have knowingly lost 
Thee. But remember, my Jesus, that Thou hast 
bought me with Thy Blood. Ah, rrfay this Blood 
not have been given in vain for me, which was shed 
with so much grief and so much love. 



Jiraucrs in ffiouor of tfje jfiht £2=otwirs, 

Jesus, by the pain Thou didst suffer when 
Thy left -Hand was nailed to the cross, give 
— me true sorrow for my sins. 

O my Jesus, by the pain which Thou didst suffer 
when Thy right Hand was nailed to the cross, grant 
me perseverance in Thy grace. 

O my Jesus, by the pain which Thou didst suffer 
when Thy left Foot was nailed to the cross, save me 
from the pains of hell. 

O my Jesus, by the pain which Thou didst suffer 
when Thy right Foot was nailed to the cross, grant 
me the grace of eternally loving Thee in heaven. 

O my Jesus, by the Wound made in Thine ador- 
able Heart, procure for me the happiness of ever 
loving Thee in this life and in the next. 



454 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



Stager fcefore a <&ructft'r* 

Wounds of Jesus ! you are my hope. I should 
despair of the pardon of my sins, and of my 
eternal salvation, did I not behold you, the 
fountains of mercy and grace, through which a God 
has shed all His Blood, to wash my soul from the 
sins I have committed. I adore ye, then, O holy 
Wounds ! and I trust in you. I detest a thousand 
times and I curse those vile pleasures by which 1 
have displeased my Redeemer, and have miserably 
lost His friendship. On beholding ye, my hopes 
revive, and the affection of my heart is renewed. 

O Wounds of my sorrowful Jesus, ye are living 
evidences of *the love which my Redeemer has for 
me; with tender words do ye force me to love Him 
for the many sufferings that He underwent for love 
of me, Eternal Father, " look at the Face of Thy 
Christ" (Ps. lxxxiii. 10) ; look at the Wounds of Thy 
Son, which ask pity for me, and for their sake pardon 
the outrages that I have committed against Thee ; 
take my heart entirely to Thyself that it may not 
love, seek, nor sigh after any other but Thee. O 
Wounds of my Redeemer, how many souls have ye 
not inflamed with love ! inflame my soul also. O 
Wounds of Jesus, ye constrain me to love Jesus ! 

Wounds of my Jesus, O blessed furnaces of love ! 
receive me that I may not burn in the fire of hell, as 

1 have deserved, but be consumed in the holy flames 
of love for that God Who condescended to die in 
torment for my salvation. 




mtriftetr* 



my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the Wound in 
Thy left Foot. I thank Thee for having 
suffered it for me with so much sorrow and 
with so much love. I compassionate Thy pain, and 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 455 



that of Thine afflicted Mother. And, by the merit 
of this sacred Wound, I pray Thee to grant me the 
pardon of my sins, of which I repent with all my 
heart, because they have offended Thine infinite 
goodness. O sorrowing Mary, pray to Jesus for me. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the Wound in 
Thy right Foot. I thank Thee for having suffered 
it for me with so much sorrow and with so much 
love. I compassionate Thy pain, and that of Thine 
afflicted Mother. And, by the merit of this sacred 
Wound, I pray Thee to give me the strength not to 
fall into mortal sin for the future, but to persevere 
in Thy grace unto my death. O sorrowing Mary, 
pray to Jesus for me. 

" Our Father," etc. 

O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the Wound in 
Thy left Hand. I thank Thee for having suffered it 
for me with so much sorrow and with so much love. 
I compassionate Thy pain, and that of Thine afflicted 
Mother. And, by the merit of this sacred Wound, 
I pray Thee to deliver me from hell, which I have so 
often deserved, and where I could never love Thee 
more. O sorrowing Mary, pray to Jesus for me. 

" Our Father," etc. 

O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the Wound in 
Thy right Hand. I thank Thee for having suffered 
it for me with so much sorrow and with so much 
love. I compassionate Thy pain, and that of Thy 
most afflicted Mother. And, by the merit of this 
sacred Wound, I pray Thee to give me the glory of 
paradise, where I shall love Thee perfectly, and with 
all my strength. O sorrowing Mary, pray to Jesus 
for me. 

" Our Father," etc. 

O my Lord Jesus Christ, I adore the Wound in 
Thy Side. I thank Thee for having willed, even 
after Thy death, to suffer this additional injury, 



45*5 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



without pain indeed, yet with consummate love. I 
compassionate Thine afflicted Mother, who alone 
felt all its pain. And, by the merit of this sacred 
Wound, I pray Thee to bestow upon me the gift of 
holy love for Thee, that so I may ever love Thee in 
this life, and, in the other, face to face to all eternity 
in paradise. O sorrowing Mary, pray for me. 
" Our Father," etc. 

<£fferttts, 

|]ternal Father, I offer Thee the precious 
Blood, the Passion, and the Death of Jesus 
Christ, the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin 



Mary and of St. Joseph, in expiation of my sins, for 
the deliverance of the souls in purgatory, for the 
needs of our holy mother the Church, and for the 
conversion of sinners. 1 

• *3Lttcm2 of tf)e passion, 

jlORD, have mercy on Us, etc. 

Jesus prostrate in the Garden of Olives before 
Thy Father, and charged with the sins of 
the whole world, 

Jesus, overwhelmed with sadness, reduced to 
agony, and submerged in a sea of sorrow, 

Jesus, Who, from every part of Thy body, 
didst sweat blood abundantly, 

Jesus, betrayed by a traitor-apostle and sold 
at a low price, like a slave, 

Jesus, giving a loving kiss to the traitor Judas, 
Jesus, dragged by a rope through the streets 
of Jerusalem, and overwhelmed with curses, 
Jesus, unjustly accused and condemned, 
Jesus, overwhelmed with insults, spat upon, 
and buffeted, 



1 100 days' indulgence, once a day. (April 30, i860.) 



Devotion tojDur Lord Jesus Christ. 

Jesus, clothed in a robe of ignominy and 
treated as a madman at Herod's court, 

Jesus, Thy flesh torn with scourges, and Thy 
blood flowing plentifully. 

Jesus, crowned with sharp thorns, 

Jesus, treated as a mock king, 

Jesus, placed on a parallel with Barabbas, who 
was preferred to Thee, 

Jesus, given over to Thine enemies by Pilate, 

Jesus, exhausted with suffering and bending 
beneath the burden of Thy cross, 

Jesus, fastened to the cross between two mal- 
efactors, 

Jesus, man of sorrows, 

Jesus, obedient unto death, even unto the 
death of the cross, 

Jesus, filled with mercy towards those who 
offered Thee gall and vinegar, 

Jesus, praying for Thy executioners, and 
pleading for them with Thy Father, 

Jesus, for our redemption sacrificing Thine 
honor and Thy life, 

Jesus, expiring on the cross out of love for us, 

Be merciful unto us and pardon us, O Lord. 

Be merciful unto us and hear us, O Lord. 

From all evil, 

From all sin, 

From a bad death. 

From everlasting damnation, 

By Thine agony and bloody sweat, 

By Thy cruel scourging, 

By Thy crown of thorns, 

By Thy cross and sufferings, 

By Thy sacred thirst and dereliction, 

Bv Thv Five Wounds, 

By Thy death. 

By Thy resurrection, 

At the day of judgment, 



458 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



We sinners beseech Thee to hear us. 

That, by Thy Passion, Thou wouldst make 
known to us the enormity of sin, the cause 
of Thy suffering, 

That, by the remembrance of Thy sorrows 
and sufferings, we may be enabled patiently to 
bear all trials, adversities, and sickness, 

That in all our afflictions, sadness, and tribu- 
lations we may look to Thee to obtain patience, 

That, without murmuring, w T e may receive 
from Thy hands humiliations, scorn, outrage, 
and"persecution, 

That, following Thy example, we may patient- 
ly bear with false accusations and unjust judg- 
ments, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to make us 
share in the fruits of Thy cross, 

That, by virtue of Thy cross, we may triumph 
over the devil, the world, and the flesh, 

That we may be purified from all sin in Thy 
blood, 

That we may daily take up our cross and 
follow Thee, 

That we may frequently and lovingly think 
on Thy Passion, 

That, calling to mind that Thou didst die for 
love of us, we may love Thee with our whole 
heart, and live for Thee alone, 

That at the hour of our death Thou wilt 
vouchsafe to strengthen us by Thy cross and 
death, 

That, by Thy cross, Thou wilt vouchsafe to 
bring us to eternal glory, 
Lamb of God, etc. 

Let us Pray. 
Lord Jesus, Who, having come down from heaven 
and from the bosom of Thy Father, didst shed 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



459 



Thy precious Blood for the remission of our sins, 
we humbly beg of Thee that at the day of judg- 
ment we may be placed on Thy right hand and may 
merit hearing from Thy lips these words : " Come, 
ye blessed of my Father.'' Amen. 

DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 

An Hours Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament} 

Stagers for tije ®oitr of ^trorattom 

Animate thy faith and thy confidence, O my 
soul : thou art now in the presence of. God's 
infinite majesty ; it is He Who, out of love for 
thee, came down from heaven to earth, became man, 
and vouchsafed to die on a cross for thy salvation. 
Now He is dwelling here in the Blessed Sacrament, 
in order to listen to thee and to grant thee the 
graces thou askest of Him ; say then to Him : 

Acts of Faith and Adoration. 

j|Y God, I believe all that the Holy Church 
teaches me to believe, because Thou, Who 
art infallible truth, hast revealed it. I be- 
lieve that Thou art the Creator and Lord of heaven 
and earth, Who eternally rewardest the just in para- 
dise, and chastisest sinners in hell. I believe that 
Thou art one God in essence, but three in Persons, 
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. I believe, O Eternal 
Son of God, that Thou didst take flesh, and didst 
become man in the womb of Mary, and that Thou 
didst die on a cross for our salvation, and* that Thou 
art now present in the Most Blessed Sacrament, to 
feed us with Thy most sacred Flesh in the holy Com- 
munion, and to hear and grant our prayers when we 
come to visit Thee on the altar. Prostrate, then, at 



1 Specially adapted for the Hour of Perpetual Adoration, the Forty 
Hours' Devotion, the Nocturnal Adoration, the Hour of Guard, Ves- 
pers on Sunday, Benediction Service, or for any other occasion. 



460 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Thy feet, I, a miserable sinner, unworthy to appear 
before Thee, only fit for hell, which I have so often 
deserved, adore Thee, O Infinite Majesty, and unite 
my adoration to that which all the angels and saints 
of heaven, together with the most holy Virgin Mary, 
now offer Thee. 

Act of Hope. 

i|Y dear Redeemer, relying on Thy promises, 
and because Thou art faithful, powerful, and 
merciful, I hope, through the merits of Thy 
Passion, for the forgiveness of my sins, perseverance 
until death in Thy grace ; and at length I hope, by 
Thy mercy, to see Thee and love Thee eternally in 
heaven. 

Act of Love. 

|y own dear God, because Thou art an infinite 
good, and worthy of infinite love, I love Thee 
1 with my whole heart, and above all things ; 
and I desire to see Thee loved by all men on earth 
as much as Thou deservest. I rejoice that Thou art 
and wilt be infinitely happy for all eternity. 

Act of Contrition, and Purpose of Amendment. 

j|Y beloved Redeemer, had I for Thy sake aban- 
doned all, had I spent my entire life in a des- 
ert, and at length died of torments endured 
for love of Thee, it would still have been nothing 
when compared with the cruel death which Thou, 
my God, wast pleased to endure for love of me. But 
what has my conduct towards Thee been hitherto? 
I have paid Thee with ingratitude ; instead of lov- 
ing Thee, I have so often offended Thee. I have 
turned my back upon Thee, and ungratefully de- 
spised Thy grace and Thy love. I am sorry, my 
Jesus, and from the bottom of my heart am grieved 
for having offended Thee, O Infinite Goodness ! Oh, 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 461 



that I had rather died, and thus never displeased 
Thee ! I hate and detest above every evil all the in- 
juries which I have committed against Thee. My 
Lord, I promise Thee and now determine rather to 
die than ever more to offend Thee ; I also determine 
to receive the holy sacraments during my life and 
at my death. I am resolved, O Infinite Majesty, to 
spend the remainder of my life, be it long or 
short, in loving Thee, my only good, Who art ami- 
able above every other good. But, O God of my 
soul, what will be the use of all my promises if Thou 
dost not help me? Without Thy aid I shall again 
betray Thee worse than ever. I ask Thee, then, for 
this grace, and I hope for it through the merits of 
Thy Passion ; give me holy perseverance, and never 
again permit me to separate myself from Thee. 
Grant that I may rather die than again have the mis- 
fortune to incur Thy displeasure. 

Act of Thanksgiving". 

Iy Jesus. I thank Thee for all the graces which 
Thou hast granted me ; for having created 
— me, for having redeemed me with Thy pre- 
cious Blood, and for having made me a Christian by 
the Sacrament of Bap: ism ; for having borne with 
me for so long a time when I was at enmity with 
Thee. Unfortunate, indeed, would my lot have 
been, had I then died ; I should now have been in 
hell ; there, O my God, I should now be forever lost, 
and unable to love Thee. I thank Thee, then, for 
having awaited me with so much patience, and for 
having (as I trust) pardoned me with so much mer- 
er. I thank Thee especially for dwelling in the Most 
Blessed Sacrament, and for having given me Thy 
entire Self as my Food so many times in the holy 
Communion, and for now admitting me to Thy Pres- 
ence. I thank Thee for all ; and I hope to thank 
Thee in a still more becoming manner for all eter* 



462 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



nity in heaven, where I hope to sing Thy mercies 
forever. 

Offering. 

Y Jesus, for love of me Thou wast pleased to 
die a shameful and cruel death on an infa- 
mous gibbet ; what return can I make to 
Thee for so great love ? I can make no other than 
the offering of my entire self. Yes, my Lord, I offer 
and consecrate my whole self to Thee. I give Thee 
my soul, my body, and my will, resigning myself in all 
and forever to Thy most holy will. Do with me what 
Thou pleasest. Make me ever love Thee in this life 
and in the next; do this, and then dispose of me and 
of everything I have as Thou wilt. Tell me what 
Thou askest of me ; for with Thy grace I will execute 
it, be it what it may. 

Prayer for Our Neighbor and for Ourself. 

IJord, I recommend to Thee the Sovereign 
Pontiff, and likewise all other prelates and 
priests; fill them with Thy Spirit, so that 
they may convert and sanctify the whole earth. I 
recommend to Thee all infidels, heretics, and sin- 
ners ; give unto them the light and strength of 
which they stand in need in order to leave the paths 
of sin and devote themselves to loving Thee alone— 
Thee, the Sovereign Good. 

I recommend to Thee the agonizing, all my rela- 
tions, friends, and benefactors ; I also recommend my 
enemies to Thee in an especial manner, because such 
is Thy command : make them happy and saints. I 
recommend the holy souls in purgatory to Thee ; re- 
lieve them in their sufferings, and shorten the time 
of their exile, that they may soon go to enjoy Thee 
in heaven. 

And now, O Jesus, hidden in the Most Blessed 
Sacrarnent, I pray to Thee for myself; from thq 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



463 



throne of love on which Thou art on this altar, grant 
me by Thy merits great sorrow for my sins, and the 
forgiveness of all the offences which I have commit- 
ted against Thee. Grant me holy humility and 
meekness that I may bear all insults and perse- 
cutions with patience. Grant me the grace to mor- 
tify myself in all which is displeasing to Thee. Grant 
me perfect resignation to Thy holy will, so that I 
may with interior peace embrace all crosses which 
come to me from Thy hands. Grant me light to 
know, and strength to execute, Thy holy will. Grant 
me great confidence in Thy most holy Passion, and 
in the patronage of Thy most holy Mother Mary. 
Grant me the supreme gift of Thy holy love, to- 
gether with a great desire to love and please Thee ; 
so that from henceforward I may always repeat the 
words which I now address to Thee : " My God, Thee 
alone do I desire, and nothing more." Grant me 
perseverance until death in Thy love, so that I may 
never again have the misfortune to lose Thy holy 
grace. Above all, I beseech Thee to help me always 
to seek for this holy perseverance from Thee, by 
always recommending myself to Thee and to Thy 
holy Mother, more especially when I am tempted to 
offend Thee, saying, " Jesus and Mary, Jesus and 
Mary, help me !" Eternal Father, for the love of 
Jesus Thy Son, grant me all these graces. 

Spiritual Communion and Prayer to Mary, pages 278, 279. 

<£ottsnrerattotTs for tge 3§our of ^fcorattou* 

FIRST DAY. 

Jesus makes Himself Accessible to Every One. 

Having to depart from this world after He had 
completed the work of redemption, our lov- 
ing Saviour did not wish to leave us alone in 

this valley of tears. " No tongue/' says St. Peter of 



464 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 

Alcantara, "can express the greatness of the love 
which Jesus Christ Bears to our souls. Hence, that 
His absence from us might not be an occasion of 
forgetting Him, this Spouse, before His departure 
from this world, left, as a memorial of His love, this 
Most Holy Sacrament, in which He Himself has re- 
mained. He did not wish that between Him and 
His servants there should be any other pledge than 
Himself, to keep alive the remembrance of Him.'* 
This effort of love on the part of Jesus Christ merits 
great love from us ; and, according to the revelation 
said to have been made to His servant, Sister Mar- 
garet Mary Alacoque, He wished that in these latter 
times a Feast should be instituted in honor of His 
Most Sacred Heart, in order that, by our devotions 
and affections, we might make some return for His 
loving dwelling on our altars, and thus compensate 
the insults which He has received in this Sacrament 
of Love, and which he receives every day from here- 
tics and bad Catholics. 

Jesus has left Himself in the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, first, that all may be able to find Him ; second- 
ly, to give audience to all ; thirdly, to give His graces 
to all. He, in the first place, remains on so many 
altars, that all who wish may be able to find Him. 
On the night on which the Redeemer took leave of 
His disciples to go to His death, they shed tears of 
sorrow at the thought of being separated from their 
dear Master; but Jesus consoled them, saying (and 
this was equally addressed to us) : My children, I am 
going to die for you, in order to show you the love 
which I bear you. But at my death I will not leave 
you alone : as long as you are on earth, I will remain 
with you in the Most Holy Sacrament. I leave you 
my Body, my Soul, my Divinity : I leave Myself en- 
tirely to you. As long as you remain on earth, I will 
not depart from you. " Behold I am with you all 
days, even to the consummation of the world " (MaUt 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ, 465 



xxviii. 20). The Saviour, says St. Peter of Alcan- 
tara, did not wish to leave His spouse alone at such 
a distance, and therefore He has left this sacrament, 
in which He Himself, the best of all companions, has 
remained with her. The Gentiles have invented many- 
gods ; but they could never imagine a god more lov- 
ing than our God, who remains nigh to us, and assists 
us with so much love. 

Behold, then, Jesus Christ remains in our taber- 
nacles, as if confined in so many prisons of love. His 
priests remove Him from the tabernacle to expose 
Him on the altar, or to give Communion, and after- 
wards put Him back to be again shut up : and Jesus 
is content to remain there day and night. But why, 
my Redeemer, dost thou remain in so many churches, 
even during the night, when the faithful lock the 
doors and leave Thee alone ? It would be enough 
for Thee to remain during the day. No; He wished 
to remain also during the night, though left alone, 
-that, in the morning, all who seek may instantly find 
Him. The sacred spouse went in search of her Be- 
loved, saying to everyone she met : " Have you seen 
Him whom my soul loveth ?" (Cant. iii. 3.) And, not 
finding Him, she raised her voice and exclaimed : My 
spouse, tell me where Thou art. " Show me . . . 
where Thou feedest, where Thou liest in the-midday" 
(Cant. i. 6). The spouse did not find Him, because 
then the Most Holy Sacrament was not instituted ; 
but, at present, if a soul wishes to find Jesus Christ, 
it has only to go to a church in which the Holy 
Eucharist is preserved, and there it will find its Be- 
loved expecting it. There is not a town nor a con- 
vent in which the Holy Sacrament is not kept ; and 
in all these places the King of heaven is content to 
remain shut up in a case of wood or of stone, often 
almost without a lamp burning before Him, and 
without any one to keep Him company. But, " O 
Lord !" says St. Bernard, " this is not suited to Thy 



466 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 

Majesty." "No matter," Jesus replies; "if it be- 
comes not my Majesty, it well becomes my love." 

What tender devotion do pilgrims feel in visiting 
the holy house of Loreto — the Holy Land — the 
stable at Bethlehem — the hill of Calvary — or the 
Holy Sepulchre, in which Jesus Christ was born, or 
lived, or died, or was buried ! But how much greater 
tenderness should we feel in a church, in presence of 
Jesus Himself in the Blessed Sacrament ! The ven- 
erable Father John D'Avila used to say that he knew 
no sanctuary capable of inspiring greater devotion 
or consolation than a church in which Jesus remains 
in the Holy Eucharist. Father Balthazar Alvarez 
would weep in seeing 'the palaces of princes filled 
with courtiers, and the churches, in which Jesus 
Christ dwells, solitary and abandoned. O God ! if 
the Lord remained only in one church — for example, 
in St. Peter's in Rome — and only on one day in the 
year, oh ! how many pilgrims, how many nobles, how 
many princes would endeavor to have the happiness 
of being there on that day, to pay court and homage 
to the King of heaven descended again upon the 
earth ! Oh, what a splendid tabernacle of gold, 
adorned with gems, would be prepared for Him ! 
Oh, with what an abundance of lights would the 
dwelling of Jesus Christ on the earth be celebrated 
on that day! But, says the Redeemer, I do not wish 
to remain only in a single church, or but for a single 
day : nor do I require either such riches, nor such a 
profusion of lights. I wish to dwell continually in 
all places in which my servants are found ; so that 
all may easily find Me at all times, and at any hour 
they wish. 

Ah ! if Jesus Christ had not invented this excess 
of love, who could have ever thought of it? Should 
a Christian, after the ascension of the Redeemer in- 
to heaven, have said to Him, Lord, if Thou wishest 
to show us Thy affection, remain with us on our 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 467 



altars under the appearance of bread, that we may 
be able to find Thee whenever we wish : would not 
such a demand have been regarded as the extreme 
of temerity ? But, what no man could ever even 
have imagined, Our Saviour has invented and accom- 
plished. But. alas ! where is our gratitude for so 
great a favor? If a prince came from a distance to 
a village for the purpose of being visited by a peas- 
ant, how great would be the ingratitude of the peas- 
ant if he refused to visit his sovereign, or if he paid 
him only a passing visit ! 

Affections and Prayers. 

r^fej^ my Re:'ee:r.er. Love of my soul ! how 

much has :: :os: T.:ce t d remain with us in this 
sacrament ! To be able to remain on our altars, 
Thou hadst first to suffer death ; afterwards, in order 
to aid us by Thy presence. Thou hadst to submit to 
many grievous insults in this sacrament. And. after 
all this, we are so slothful and negligent in visiting 
Thee, though we know that Thou ardently desirest 
our visits for the purpose of enriching us with Thy 
graces when Thou seest us in Thy presence. Lord, 
pardon me ; for I too have been one of these un- 
grateful souls. From this day forward, O my Jesus ! 
I wish to visit Thee often, and to remain as long as 
I can in Thy presence, to thank Thee, to love Thee, 
and to ask Thy graces ; for it is for this purpose that 
Thou remainest on earth shut up in our tabernacles, 
and made our Prisoner of Love. I love Thee. O In- 
finite Goodness I I love Thee. O God of love I love 
Thee, O Sovereign Good ! amiable above even- good. 
Grant that I may forget myself and all things, in 
order to remember only Thy love, and to spend the 
remainder of my life wholly occupied in pleasing 
Thee. Grant that from this day forward I may 
relish no pleasure more than that of remaining at 
Thy feet. Inflame my whole soul with Thy holy 



468 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



love. Mary, my Mother, obtain for me a great love 
for the Most Holy Sacrament ; and whenever Thou 
seest that I am negligent, remind me of the 
promise I now make of going every day to visit the 
Holy Sacrament. 



Jesus gives Audience to All at all Times. 

||n the second place, Jesus Christ, in the Blessed 
Sacrament, gives audience to all. St. Teresa 



usec [ to sa y t h at a ll cannot speak with the 
sovereign. The poor can scarcely hope to address 
him and make known to him their necessities, even 
through a third person. But to speak to the King 
of heaven, the intervention of a third person is not 
necessary : all, the poor as well as the nobles of the 
earth, may speak to Him face to face in the Holy 
Sacrament. Hence Jesus is called the Flower of the 
field. "I am the flower of the field, and the lily of 
the valleys" (Cant. ii. 1). The flowers of gardens are 
inclosed and reserved ; but the flowers of the fields 
are exposed to all. With Jesus, then, in the Holy 
Sacrament, all may speak every hour in the day. 
Speaking of the birth of the Redeemer in the stable 
of Bethlehem, St. Peter Chrysologus says that 
princes do not always give audience ; that when a 
person goes to address the king, the guards send him 
away, saying that the hour or day for giving audience 
is not yet arrived, and telling him to come at another 
time. But the Redeemer chose to be born in an 
open cave, without a door and without guards, in 
order to give audience to all, at all hours. The 
same happens in the Holy Sacrament. The churches 
are always open : all can go to converse with the 
King of heaven whenever they wish. Jesus desires 
that we speak to Him with unbounded confidence: 
it is for this purpose that He remains under the 



SECOND DAY. 




Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 469 



species of bread. If Jesus appeared on our altars, as 
He will on the day of judgment, on a throne of 
glory, who among us would dare to approach Him ? 
But, says St. Teresa, because the Lord desires that 
we speak to Him, and ask His graces with confi- 
dence and without fear, he has therefore clothed His 
majesty with the appearance of bread. He desires, 
as Thomas a Kempis says, that we converse with 
him as one friend does with another. 

What joy would you not feel, dear reader, if a king 
called you into his cabinet and said to you : " What 
do you wish for? Of what do you stand in need ? 
I love you, and I desire to promote your welfare'"! 
This Jesus Christ, the King of heaven, says to all 
who visit Him: "Come to Me, all you that labor 
and are burthened. and I will refresh you" (Matt. xi. 
28). Come, all you that are poor, infirm, or afflicted ; 
I am able and willing to enrich you, to heal you, to 
console you. For this purpose I remain on your 
altars. 

Affections and Prayers. 

Igsg^ixCE. then, my beloved Jesus, Thou remainest 
BgvS on our altars to hear the supplications of the 
\r-^&\ miserable who have recourse to Thee, hear 
the prayer which I, a miserable sinner, present to 
Thee. O Lamb of God ! sacrificed and lifeless on 
the cross. I am a soul redeemed by Thy Blood ; 
pardon me all my offences against Thee, and assist 
me by Thy grace, that I may never lose Thee again. 
Impart to me. O my Jesus ! a portion of the sorrow 
which Thou didst feel in the garden of Gethsemane 
for my sins. O my God ! would that I had never 
offended Thee ! My dear Lord, had I died in sin. I 
could never more love Thee ; but Thou hast waited 
for me that I might love Thee. I thank Thee for 
the time which Thou givest me : and since I can now 
ove Thee, I wish to love Thee. Give me the grace 



470 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



of Thy holy love, but of a love which will make me 
forget all things, to think only of pleasing Thy most 
loving heart. Ah, my Jesus ! Thou hast spent Thy 
whole life for me : grant that I may spend at least 
the remainder of my life for Thee. Draw me entirely 
to Thy love ; make me all Thine before I die. I hope 
for all graces through the merits of Thy Passion. I 
also hope in thy intercession, O Mary ! Thou knowest 
that I love thee : have pity on me. 



THIRD DAY. 

Jesus only wishes to bestow His Graces. 

ilESUS, in the Holy Sacrament, gives audience to 
all in order to bestow His graces on all. St. 
Augustine says that the Lord has a greater 
desire of communicating His graces to us than we 
have of receiving them. The reason is that God is 
infinite goodness, and goodness is naturally diffusive ; 
therefore it desires to impart its goods to all. God 
complains when souls do not come to ask His graces. 
" Am I," he says, " become a wilderness to Israel, or 
a lateward springing land ? Why, then, have My 
people said, 'We are revolted ; we will come to Thee 
no more'?" (Jer. ii. 31.) Why, says the Lord, will 
you come to Me no more? Have you, when you 
asked My graces, found Me like a barren or lateward 
springing land ? 

Jesus Christ complained to the servant of God, 
Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque, of the ingratitude 
of men to Him in this Sacrament of Love. To make 
her understand the love with which He dwells on 
our altars, He showed her His heart on a throne of 
flames, surrounded with thorns and surmounted by 
a cross, and said to her: " Behold that Heart, which 
has loved men so tenderly, which has reserved no- 
thing, and which has been even consumed to show 
its love for them. But, in return, the greater part of 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 471 



them treat Me with ingratitude by their irreverence 
and by their contempt of My love in this sacrament. 
And what is most painful to Me is that they are 
hearts which are consecrated to Me." Christians do 
not visit Jesus Christ because they do not love Him. 
They spend entire hours in the society of friends ; 
and they feel tediousness in conversing half an hour 
with Jesus Christ. Some will say : Why does not 
Jesus Christ give me His love? I answer: If you 
do not banish the world from your heart, how can 
divine love enter it ? Ah ! if you could say with 
sincerity what St. Philip Xeri said at the sight of the 
Holy Sacrament — " Behold my love ! behold my 
love!" — you would not feel tediousness in spending 
hours and entire days before the Blessed Sacrament. 

To souls enamoured of God, hours spent before 
Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament appear moments. 
St. Francis Xavier labored the whole day for the 
salvation of souls : and what was his repose at night? 
It consisted in remaining before the Holy Sacrament. 
St. John Francis Regis, that great missionary of 
France, after having spent the entire day in preach- 
ing and hearing confessions, went at night to the 
church. And having sometimes found it shut, he 
remained outside the door, exposed to the cold and 
wind, to pay homage, at least at a distance, to his 
beloved Lord. St. Aloysius Gonzaga wished to re- 
main always before the Holy Sacrament, but was for- 
bidden to do so by his superiors. In passing by the 
altar, he felt himself drawn by Jesus to remain, but 
was compelled by obedience to depart. Hence he 
would lovingly say to his Saviour : " Withdraw from 
me, O Lord ! withdraw." Lord, do not draw me ; 
allow me to depart; obedience obliges me to go 
away. If, my brother, you do not feel this love for 
Jesus, endeavor at least to visit Him even- day: He 
will certainly inflame your heart. Do you' feel cold ? 



472 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



"Approach the fire," says St. Catharine of Siena. 
Ah ! happy you, if Jesus, by His grace, inflames you 
with His love! Then you will certainly no longer 
love the goods of this world ; on the contrary, you 
will despise them. " When, "says St. Francis de 
Sales, " a house is on fire, all that is within is thrown 
out through the windows." 



Affections and Prayers. 

IpHKgglH, my Jesus ! make Thyself known, make Thy- 
lli&ll se ^ l° ve d- Thou art so amiable, Thou canst 
^ Q joking m ore to induce men to love 
Thee ; how then does it happen that so few among 
them love Thee ? Alas ! I have been .among these 
ungrateful wretches. I have been sufficiently grate- 
ful to creatures, who have bestowed no gift or favor 
upon me : to Thee only, Who hast given me Thyself, 
have I been ungrateful, so as often to offend Thee 
grievously, and insult Thee by my sins. But I see 
that, instead of abandoning me, Thou continuest to 
seek after me, and to ask my love. I feel that Thou 
continuest to propose to me this loving precept : 
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole 
heart." Since, then, Thou didst wish to be loved 
even by me after my ingratitude, I desire to love 
Thee. Thou wishest for my love, and at present, 
through Thy grace, I desire only to love Thee. I 
love Thee, my Love, my All. Through that Blood 
which Thou hast shed for me, help me to love Thee. 
My beloved Redeemer! I place all my hopes in this 
Blood, and also in the intercession of Thy most holy 
Mother, whom Thou wishest to assist me by her 
prayers in the work of my salvation. O Mary, my 
Mother ! pray to Jesus for me. Thou inflamest all 
thy lovers with the divine love; I love Thee tender- 
ly; procure it also for me. 



Devotion to Our Lord ^esus Christ. 



473 



* O Sacrament most holy ! O Sacrament divine ! 
All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment 
thine! 1 

Sentiments oi 2Lobe totoarfcs Sesus <£&rtet tn tfje 
33iessetr Httcijartst* 

I. 

Thou remainest there alone and abandoned by all ! 

jfcnrai my beloved Jesus, O God, Who hast loved 



men with such exceeding love ! what more 



canst Thou do to make Thyself loved by 
these ungrateful men ? Oh, if men loved Thee, all 
the churches would be continually filled with people 
prostrate on the ground, adoring and thanking Thee, 
and burning with love for Thee at seeing Thee with 
the eyes of faith hidden in a tabernacle. But no ; 
men, forgetful of Thee and of Thy love, are ready 
enough to coi rt a man from whom they hope 
some miserable advantage, whilst Thou, O my Lord, 
Thou remainest there alo7ie and abandoned by all. Oh, 
that I could by my devotion make reparation for 
such ingratitude ! I am sorry that I also have hither- 
to been, like them, careless and ungrateful. But for 
the future I will not be so any longer, and I will de- 
vote myself to Thy service as much as I possibly 
can. Do Thou inflame me with Thy holy love, so 
that from this day forth I may live only to love and 
to please Thee. Thou deservest the love of all 
hearts. If at one time I have despised Thee, I now 
desire nothing but to love Thee. O my Jesus, Thou 
art my Love and my only Good, "my God and my 
All." Most holy Virgin Mary, obtain for me, I pray 
thee, a great love for the Most Holy Sacrament. 



1 ioo days' 1 indulgence once a day, and three times a day every 
Thursday in the year and during the Octave of Corpus Christi. 
(May 24, 1776.) 100 days at each Mass. on condition of making- use 
of this ejaculation at the Elevation of the two species. (Dec. 7, 1819.) 




474 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



II. 

Behold my Love ! 



my Jesus, from this day forward I also hope 
to say always to Thee, when I come to visit 
Thee on Thy altars : " Behold my Love, be- 
hold all my Love." Yes, my beloved Redeemer, I 
will love none other but Thee ; I desire that Thou 
shouldst be the only love of my soul. I seem to die 
of sorrow when I think that hitherto I have loved 
creatures and my own pleasures more than Thee, 
and have turned my back upon Thee, the Sovereign 
Good. But Thou wouldst not have me lost, and 
therefore hast Thou borne with me with so much 
patience ; and instead of chastising me, Thou hast 
pierced my heart with so many darts of love, that I 
could no longer resist Thy kindness, but have given 
myself up to Thee ; I see that Thou wouldst have me 
to be entirely Thine. But since Thou wouldst have 
it to be so, do Thou make me so Thyself; for it is 
Thou Who must do it. Do Thou detach my heart 
from all earthly affections and from myself, and 
grant that I may seek none other but Thee, that I 
may think of none but Thee, that I may speak ci 
none but Thee, and that I may only desire and sigh 
to burn with love for Thee, and to live and die for 
Thee alone, O love of my Jesus, come and occupy 
my whole heart, and expel from it all other love but 
that of God ! I love Thee, O Jesus in the Sacra- 
ment, I love Thee, my Treasure, my Love, my All. 
O Mary, my hope, pray for me, and make me belong 
entirely to Jesus. 

III. 

Come, Lord ! 

my dear Jesus, what more canst Thou do to 
make us love Thee ? Oh, make us under- 
stand what an excess of love Thou hast 
shown us in reducing Thyself to food, in order to 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 475 



unite Thyself thus to us poor sinners ! Thou, there- 
fore, my dear Redeemer, hast had so much affection 
for me that Thou hast not refused to give Thyself 
again and again entirely for me in the holy Commun- 
ion. And yet I have had the courage to drive Thee 
so many times away from my soul ! But Thou canst 
not despise a humble and contrite heart. Thou 
didst become man for my sake, Thou didst die for 
me, Thou didst even go so far as to become my 
food ; and what more can there remain for Thee to 
do to gain my love ? Oh, that I could die with grief 
every time that I remember to have thus despised 
Thy grace ! I repent, O my Love, with my whole 
heart, for having offended Thee. I love Thee, O In- 
finite Goodness ! I love Thee, O Infinite Love ! I de- 
sire nothing but to love Thee, and I fear nothing but 
to live without Thy love. My beloved Jesus, do not 
refuse to come for the future into my soul. Come, 
Lord, because I would rather die a thousand times 
than drive Thee away again, and I will do all I can 
to please Thee. Come and inflame my whole soul 
with Thy love. Grant that I may forget everything, 
to think only of Thee, and to aspire to Thee alone, 
my Sovereign and my only Good. O Mary, my 
Mother, pray for me ; and by thy prayers make me 
grateful for all the love of Jesus towards me. 

IV. 

I would unite myself to Thee often. 

Infinite Love of Jesus, infinitely worthy of 
love ! When shall I love Thee, my Jesus, as 
Thou hast loved me ? Thou didst spare no- 
thing to make Thyself loved by me, and I have been 
heartless enough to quit an Infinite Good that I might 
run after vile and miserable creatures ! I pray Thee, 
open my eyes, O my God ! Make me to see more 
clearly how great hath been Thy goodness to me. so 
that my heart may be inflamed with love for Thee, 



476 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



and that I may strive more and more to please Thee. 
I love Thee, my Jesus, my Love, my All, and I would 
unite myself often to Thee in holy Communion, so 
that I may be detached from all else and love naught 
but Thee, Who art my Life. My Redeemer, help 
me by the merits of Thy Passion. O Mother 6f 
Jesus and my Mother ! do thou also assist me, and 
pray thy divine Son to inflame me with His love. 



V. 

O Beloved of my soul ! . 

[Infinite Love of Jesus, worthy of being loved 
in return with infinite love! Thou dost burn 
with love for men ; how, then, do they love 
Thee so little ? What more couldst Thou do to 
make Thyself loved? O my Jesus, my loving Jesus, 
so worthy of love ! I pray Thee make Thyself 
known, make Thyself loved. O beloved One of my 
soul, would that I had always loved Thee ! Alas, 
there was a time when I not only did not love Thee, 
but despised Thy grace and Thy love ! I am con- 
soled by the sorrow which I feel for it, and I hope 
for pardon through Thy promise to forgive whoever 
repents of his sins. To Thee, O my Saviour, do I 
turn all my affections; help me, through the merits 
of Thy Passion, to love Thee with my whole 
strength. Oh, that I could die for Thee, as Thou 
didst die for me ! O Mary, my Mother, do thou ob- 
tain for me the grace from henceforth to love God 
alone. 

VI. 

Let us be always united, and never more be separated. 

my Jesus, this is what I seek of Thee, and 
what I will always seek for from Thee in the 
holy Communion : "Let us be always united, 
and never more be separated,'" I know that Thou 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 477 



wilt not separate Thyself from me if I do not first 
separate myself from Thee. But this is my fear, 
lest I should in future separate myself from Thee by 
sin, as I have done in times past. O my blessed Re- 
deemer, permit it not : ** Suffer me not to be sepa- 
rated from Thee." As long as I am alive, I am in 
danger of this. Oh, through the merits of Thy death, 
I beseech Thee let me die, rather than repeat this 
great injury against Thee. I repeat it, and pray Thee 
to grant me Thy grace always to repeat : " Suffer me 
not to be separated from Thee : suffer me not to be 
separated from Thee." O God- of my soul, I love 
Thee ; I love Thee, and will always love Thee, and 
will love Thee alone. I protest before heaven and 
earth that I desire Thee alone, and nothing but Thee. 
O my Jesus, hear me ; I desire Thee alone, and noth- 
ing but Thee. O Mary. Mother of mercy, pray for me 
now; and obtain for me the grace never more to 
separate myself from Jesus, and to love only Jesus. 

VII. 

Away from me. all earthly affections ! 

j| y adorable Jesus, Thou canst not give us 
greater proofs of Thy love to show us how 
much Thou lovest us. Thou hast given Thy 
life for us ; Thou hast bequeathed Thyself to us in 
the Holy Sacrament, in order that we may come and 
nourish ourselves with Thy Flesh ; and Thou art 
most anxious that we should receive Thee. How, 
then, can we behold all these proofs of Thy love, and 
not burn with love for Thee ? Begone, ye ! away 
from me, all earthly affections! begone from my heart ; 
it is you that hinder me from burning with love for 
Jesus as He burns with love for me. And what 
other pledges of Thy love can I expect, O my Re- 
deemer, than those which Thou hast already given 
me? Thou hast sacrificed Thy whole life for the 
love of me ; Thou hast embraced for my sake a most 



47 8 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



bitter and infamous death ; Thou hast for my sake 
reduced Thyself almost to annihilation, by becoming 
food in the Holy Eucharist in order to give Thyself 
entirely to us. O Lord, let me no longer live un- 
grateful for such great goodness. I thank Thee for 
having given me time to bewail the offences I have 
committed against Thee, and to love Thee during 
the days that remain to me in this life. I repent, O 
Sovereign Good, for having hitherto despised Thy 
love. I love Thee, O Infinite Goodness ! I love 
Thee, O Infinite Treasure! I love Thee, O Infinite 
Love, Who art worthy of infinite love ! Oh, help 
me, my Jesus, to discard from my heart all affections 
that are not directed to Thee ; so that from this day 
forward I may not desire, or seek, or love any other 
but Thee. My beloved Lord, grant that I may always 
find Thee, grant that I may always love Thee. Do 
Thou take possession of my whole will, in order that 
I may never desire anything but what is pleasing to 
Thee. My God, my God, whom shall I love if I love 
not Thee, Who art the Supreme Good ? I do indeed 
desire Thee, and nothing more. O Mary, my Mother, 
take my heart into thy keeping, and fill it with pure 
love for Jesus Christ. 

VIII. 

Thou wilt strengthen me ! 

iserable sinner that I am, O Lord ! wherefore 
do I lament my weakness when I consider 
my many falls from grace ? How was it pos- 
sible that I should have resisted the assaults of the 
devil, while I stayed away from Thee, Who art my 
strength ? If I had oftener approached holy Com- 
munion, I should not have been so often overpowered 
by my enemies. But in future it shall not be so : 
" In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped ; I shall not be con- 
founded forever." No, I will no longer rely on my 
own resolution. Thou alone art my hope, O my 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



479 



Jesus ; Thou wilt strengthen me, that I may no more 
fall into sin. I am weak ; but Thou, by the holy 
Communion, wiltT make me strong against every 
temptation : " I can do all things in Him Who 
strengtheneth Me." Forgive me, O my Jesus, all 
the offences I have committed against Thee, of 
which I repent with my whole heart. I resolve 
rather to die than ever to offend Thee again ; and J 
trust, in Thy Passion, that Thou wilt give me Thy 
help to persevere in Thy grace to the end of my life: 
" In Thee, O Lord, have I hoped ; I shall not be con- 
founded forever." And with St. Bonaventure I will 
say the same to thee, O Mary, my Mother : " In thee, 
O Lady, have I hoped ; I shall not be confounded 
forever." 



What treasures of grace are lost by those who pray for a short time 
only after receiving" holy Communion ! 

God of love, dost Thou, then, so much desire 



to dispense Thy favors to us, and yet are we 



so little anxious to obtain them ? Oh, what 
sorrow we shall feel at the hour of death when we 
think of this negligence, so pernicious to our souls I 
O my Lord, forget, I beseech Thee, all that is past , 
for the future, with Thy 'help, I will prepare myself 
better, by endeavoring to detach my affections from 
everything that prevents me from receiving all 
those graces which Thou desirest to bestow upon 
me. And after Communion I will lift up my heart 
to Thee as much as I can, in order to obtain Thy 
help that I may advance in Thy love — oh, grant me 
grace to accomplish this. O my Jesus, how negligent 
have I hitherto been in loving Thee ! The time 
which Thou in Thy mercy mayest yet allot to me in 
this life is the time to prepare myself for death, and 
to make amends by my love for the offences I have 



IX. 




480 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



committed against Thee. I will spend it entirely in 
lamenting my sins and in loving Thee. I love Thee, 
my Jesus, my Love ; I love Thee*, my only Good ; 
have pity on me, and do not forsake me. And thou, 
O Mary, my hope, do not cease to help me by thy 
holy intercession ! 



Sentiments of u 3^eltQiotts before tije 3Slessetr 
Sacrament* 

How have I deserved this happy lot ? 

IfTBQSl EH0LD me m Thy presence, O my Jesus ! Hid- 
BiifN ^ en * n t * ie sacrament, Thou art the self-same 
l===il Jesus Who for me didst sacrifice Thyself on 
the cross. Thou art He Who lovest me so much, and 
Who hast therefore confined Thyself in this prison 
of love. Amongst so many who have offended Thee 
less than I, and who have loved Thee better than I, 
Thou hast chosen me, in Thy goodness, to keep Thee 
company in this house, where, having drawn me 
from the midst of the world, Thou hast destined me 
always to live united with Thee, and afterwards to 
have me nigh unto Thee to praise and to love Thee 
in Thy eternal kingdom. O Lord ! I thank Thee. 
How have I deserved this happy lot f Happy indeed 
am I, O my Jesus! to have left the world ; and it is 
my great desire to perform the vilest office in Thy 
house rather than dwell in the proudest royal palaces 
of men. Receive me, then, O Lord ! to stay with 
Thee all my life long ; do not chase me away, as I 
deserve. Be pleased to allow that, among the many 
pious souls who serve Thee in this house, I, though 
I am a miserable sinner, may serve Thee also. Many 
years already have I lived far from Thee. But now 
that Thou hast enlightened me to know the vanity 
of the world, and my own foolishness, I will not de- 
part any more from Thy feet, my Jesus! Thy 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



sacramental presence shall animate me to fight when 
I am tempted. Dwelling so near to Thee, I shall be 
reminded of the obligation I am under to love Thee, 
and always have recourse to Thee in my combats 
against hell. I will always keep near to Thee, that 
I may unite myself to Thee, and attach myself closer 
to Thee. I love Thee, O my God ! hidden in this 
sacrament. Thou, for the love of me, remainest al- 
ways on this altar. I, for the love of Thee, will always 
remain in Thy presence as much as I shall be able. 
There enclosed Thou always lovest me, and here en- 
closed I will always love Thee. Always, then, O my 
Jesus, my Love, my All ! shall we remain together, 
— in time in this house, and during eternity in para- 
dise. This is my hope, so may it be. Most holy 
Mary, obtain for me a great love for the Most Holy 
Sacrament. 



* SLttcma of tfje Blessttr .Sacrament, 

ilORD, have mercy, etc. 

Living Bread, that earnest down from 
heaven, 
Hidden God and Saviour, 
Corn of the elect, 
Wine, whose fruit are virgins, 
Perpetual Sacrifice, 
Clean Oblation, 
Lamb without spot, 
Most pure Feast, 
Food of angels, 
Hidden Manna, 

Memorial of the wonders of God, 

Super-substantial Bread, 

Word made flesh, dwelling in us, 

Sacred Host, 

Chalice of benediction, 

Mystery of Faith, 



482 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Most high and adorable Sacrament, 
Most holy of all sacrifices, 
True Propitiation for the living and the dead, 
Heavenly Antidote against the poison of sin, 
Most wonderful of all miracles, 
Most holy Commemoration of the Passion of 
Christ, 

Gift transcending all fulness, 
Special Memorial of divine love, 
Affluence of divine bounty, 
Most august and holy Mystery, 
Medicine of immortality, 

Tremendous and life-giving Sacrament, > 
Bread made flesh by the omnipotence of the 
Word, 

Unbloody Sacrifice, 

Our Feast at once and our Fellow-guest, 
Sacrament of piety, 
Bond of charity, 
Priest and Victim, 

Spiritual Sweetness tasted in its proper source, 
Refreshment of holy souls, 
Viaticum of such as die in the Lord, 
Pledge of future glory, 

From an unworthy reception of. Thy Body 
and Blood, 

From the lust of the flesh, 

From the lust of the eyes, 

From the pride of life, 

From every occasion of sin, 

Through the desire wherewith Thou didst 
desire to eat this Passover with Thy disciples, 

Through that ardent charity whereby Thou 
didst institute this divine sacrament, 

Through Thy precious Blood, which Thou 
hast left us on our altars, 

We sinners beseech Thee, hear us. 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 483 



That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve 
and increase our faith, reverence, and devotion 
towards this admirable sacrament, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to conduct us, 
through a true confession of our sins, to a fre- 
quent reception of the holy Eucharist, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to deliver us 
from all heresy, perfidy, and blindness of heart, j- ^ 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to impart to us 
the precious and heavenly fruits of this Most 
Holy Sacrament, 

That at the hour of death Thou wouldst ^ 
strengthen and defend us by this heavenly viati- 
cum, 

Eternal Son of the true God, 
Lamb of God, etc. 

V. Thou gavest them Bread from heaven, 
R. And therein was sweetness of every kind. 



Let us Pray. 

O God, Who under this wonderful sacrament hast 
left unto us the memorials of Thy Passion, grant us, 
we beseech Thee, so to venerate the sacred mysteries 
of Thy Body and Thy Blood that we may constantly 
experience within ourselves the fruit of Thy redemp- 
tion. Who livest and reignest world without end. 
Amen. 



484 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART OF 



Consider the great bitterness with which the Heart of the Infant 
Jesus must have felt itself afflicted and oppressed in the womb of 
Mary at the first moment when His Father proposed to His con 
sideration all the series of contempt, sorrow, and agonies which He 
was to suffer during His life, to deliver men from their miseries. 



sweet, O amiable, O loving Heart of Jesus ! 
even from Thy Infancy Thou wast full of 



1°™^ bitterness, and Thou didst suffer agonies in 
the womb of Mary without consolation, and without 
having any one to look upon Thee and to console 
Thee by his sympathy. All this Thou didst suf- 
fer, O my Jesus ! in order to satisfy for the eternal 
sorrow and agony which I deserved to endure in 
hell for my sins. Thou didst then suffer, deprived 
of all relief, in order to save me, who have had the 
boldness to forsake God, and to turn my back upon 
Him, in order to satisfy my miserable inclinations. 
I thank Thee, O afflicted and loving Heart of my 
Lord ! I thank Thee, and I sympathize with Thee, 
especially when I see that whilst Thou dost suffer 
so much for the love of man, these very men do not 
even pity Thee. O love of God, O ingratitude of 
man ! O men, O men, behold this little innocent 
Lamb Who is in agony for you, to satisfy the divine 
justice for the injuries you have committed against 
Him. See how He prays and intercedes for you 

1 With regard to this devotion, we refer our readers to the book 
entitled The Sacred Heart of Jesus, according to St. Alphon- 
sus, which contains devotions for the Holy Hour, for the First 
Friday of the Month, and for a Novena to the Sacred Heart. It is 
enriched with numerous examples. The Sacred Heart has vouch- 
safed to bless this work by making the French original run through 
an unprecedented number of editions in a very short space of time. 
It is compiled by Rev. Father St. Omer, Redemptorist, and an Eng- 
lish translation has been published by Desclee & Co., Lisle and 
Bruges, 



JESUS. 1 

2To tje ?8eart of tfje Xufatit 3tmw. 




Devotion to Our Lord 'Jesus Christ. 



485 



with His eternal Father; behold Him and love Him. 
O my Redeemer! how few are those who think of 
Thy sorrows and Thy love ! O God, how few are 
those that love Thee ! But, alas ! I also have lived 
too many years in forgetfulness of Thee ! Thou hast 
suffered so much in order to be loved by me, and I 
have not loved Thee. Forgive me, my Jesus, for- 
give me, for I will amend my life and love Thee. 
My beloved Jesus, have pity on me; let me not live 
any longer ungrateful to Thy love ; give me light, 
give me strength to conquer everything, in order to 
accomplish Thy will. Grant my prayer, I beseech 
Thee, by the merits of Thy Passion. In this is all 
my confidence, and in thy intercession, O Mary ! My 
dearest Mother, help me ; it is thou who hast ob- 
tained for me all the favors I have received from 
God : I bless thee for them ; but if thou dost not 
persevere in helping me, I shall persevere in being 
faithless, as I have been in times past. 

Eo tfje J^eart of 5esus trurmg ?§ts passion* 

I have increased the affliction of the Heart of Jesus in the same 
measure as I have taken pleasure in offending- God. 

S|3ji|MY adored and dear Jesus ! behold at Thy feet 



one who has so much afflicted Thy amiable 



ft™ 5 ! Heart. O God ! how have I been able to 
sadden that Heart which has loved me so tenderly, 
and has spared nothing to gain my love? But, my 
Saviour, be comforted ; know that my heart, wound- 
ed by the grace of Thy holy love, now feels so great 
a sorrow for the offences I have offered to Thee, 
that it would die of grief. Oh ! that some one would 
give me the sorrow for my sins which Thou hadst 
for them. during Thy mortal life! Eternal Father, I 
offer to Thee the grief and abhorrence which Thy 
Son felt for my transgressions, and, through that 
grief and abhorrence, I implore of Thee to give me, 
for the insults I have offered to Thee, a sorrow 




486 Devotions for Differe)it Seasons of the Year 

which will make me live always in affliction and grief 
at the thought of having despised Thy friendship. 
And do Thou, O my Jesus! give me henceforth a 
sorrow for sin which will make me abhor even the 
lightest faults, because they displease Thee Who dost 
not deserve to be offended venially or grievously, 
but meritest infinite love. My beloved Lord, I now 
detest whatever displeases Thee, and I wish, for the 
future, to love nothing but Thee and what Thou 
lovest. Assist me, give me strength, give me grace 
always to invoke Thee : O my Jesus J give me Thy 
love, give me Thy love, give me Thy love. 

O most holy Mary, obtain for me the grace always 
to pray to Thee, and to say : My Mother, obtain for 
me the grace to love Jesus Christ. 

Eo tfje J^eart of Jesus in X$z 33lessetr 3Euti)avi8U 

Shall we not endeavor, by our love, to compensate the infinite 
love of the divine Heart of Jesus dwelling - on the altar in the Blessed 

Sacrament ? 

Heart of my Jesus, abyss of mercy and love ! 
how does it happen that at the sight of 
Thy goodness and my ingratitude, I do not 
die and melt away through grief ? Thou, O my 
Saviour! after having created me, hast given me all 
Thy blood and Thy life, abandoning Thyself to ig- 
nominies and death for the love of me; and, not 
content with all this, Thou hast invented a means 
of sacrificing Thyself every day in the holy Eucharist, 
consenting to expose Thyself to all the injuries 
which Thou didst foresee would be offered to Thee 
in this Sacrament of Love. O God ! after all this, 
how can I see myself so ungrateful to Thee, with- 
out dying of sorrow and confusion ? Ah ! Lord, put 
an end to my ingratitude by wounding my h'eart with 
Thy love, and making me Thine without reserve. 
Remember the blood and the tears Thou hast shed 
for me, and pardon me. Ah ! let not so many pains 




Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



4S7 



be lost. But though Thou sawest me so ungrateful 
and so unworthy of Thy love, Thou hast not ceased 
to love me, even when I neither loved Thee nor de- 
sired to be loved by Thee. Ah ! satisfy to the full 
this my desire, or, rather, Thy desire, for it is Thou 
that hast given it to me. Grant that this may be the 
day of my entire conversion, so that I may begin to 
• love Thee, O Sovereign Good ! Grant that I may 
die entirely to myself, to live only to Thee, and to 
burn always with Thy holy love. 

O Mary! thy heart was the blessed altar which 
was always inflamed with divine love. My dear 
Mother, make me like to thee ; ask this favor of thy 
Son, Who delighteth in honoring thee, by never re- 
fusing anything thou askest of Him. 



£0 tfjc jtterctfttl W.cavt of Jesus, 

And where, O my dear Saviour ! can a heart be found more ami- 
able and more compassionate than Thine ? 

|]Ompassioxate Heart of my Jesus, have pity 
on me. " Most sweet Jesus, have mercy on 
me." I now say. and do Thou give me the 
grace to say it always : " Most sweet Jesus, have 
mercy on me." Before I offended Thee, O my 
Redeemer ! I certainly did not merit any of the 
graces which Thou hast bestowed on me. Thou 
hast created me. Thou hast given me so many lights, 
and all without any merit of mine. But after I had 
offended Thee, I not only did not deserve favors, 
but I merited abandonment and hell. Thy mercy 
hath induced Thee to wait for me, and to preserve 
my life when I was thine enemy. Thy mercy hath 
enlightened me, and invited me to pardon; it hath 
given me sorrow for my sins and a desire to love 
Thee, and now I hope that through Thy mercy I am 
in a state of grace. Ah ! do not cease. O my Jesus ! 
to treat me with mercy. The mercy which I ask of 
Thee is the light and strength to be never more un- 



488 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



grateful to Thee. No, my Love, I can have no 
claims to pardon, should I again turn my back upon 
Thee. To claim pardon in such a case would be 
presumption, which might hinder Thee from show- 
ing me any more mercy. And should I again un- 
gratefully despise Thy friendship, and separate from 
Thee, what further mercy ought I to expect from 
Thee? No, my Jesus, I love Thee, and I wish to 
love Thee forever. This is the mercy which I hope 
and seek for from Thee. " Do not permit me to be 
separated from Thee; do not permit me to be sepa- 
rated from Thee." 

I also entreat thee, O my Mother, Mary ! not to 
permit me to be separated from my God. 

Among all hearts, what heart can be found more amiable than the 
Heart of Jesus. 

amiable Redeemer, what object more worthy 
of love could Thy Eternal Father command 
me to love ? Thou art the beauty of heaven, 
the love of Thy Father. Thy Heart is the seat of all 
virtues. O amiable Heart of my Jesus ! Thou de- 
servest the love of all hearts. Miserable and un- 
happy the heart that does not love Thee ! Such was 
my miserable heart during the time that I did not 
love Thee. But I will not continue to be so un- 
happy; I love Thee, and I wish always to love Thee, 
O my Jesus ! Lord, I have hitherto forgotten Thee, 
and what do I now wait for? Will I wait till I 
oblige Thee to forget me entirely and to abandon 
me ? No, my dear Saviour, do not permit it. Thou 
art the love of a God ; and shalt Thou not be the 
love of me, a miserable sinner, on whom Thou hast 
lavished so many favors and so much love ? O beau- 
tiful flames that burn in the enamoured Heart of 
my Jesus ! ah ! kindle in my poor heart that holy and 
blessed fire which Jesus came from heaven to cast 



Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 



489 



upon the earth. Reduce to ashes and destroy all 
the affections which live in my heart and prevent it 
from not being entirely Thine. Grant, O my God ! 
that it may live only to love Thee alone. My dear 
Saviour, I have hitherto despised Thee; know that 
now Thou art my only love. I love Thee, I love 
Thee, I love Thee, and I wish to love nothing but 
Thee. My beloved Lord, do not refuse to accept the 
love of a heart that has once afflicted Thee. Let it 
be Thy glory to show to the angels a heart that once 
fled from Thee, and despised Thee, all on fire with 
the love of Thee. 

Most holy Virgin Mary, my hope, assist me : pray 
to Jesus that He may make me by His grace what 
He desires me to be. 

£0 tf)e jFattJful yfytzxt of Sesus* 

Oh ! how faithful is the beautiful Heart of Jesus to all who ask His 
holy love ! Whatever He promises He will not fail in accomplishing-. 

Y dear Redeemer, ph, that I had been faithful 
to Thee as Thou hast been to me ! As often 
as I have opened my heart, Thou hast en- 
tered to pardon me, and to receive me into favor; so 
often as I have invoked Thee, Thou hast come to 
my aid. Thou hast been faithful to me, but I have 
been very unfaithful to Thee. I have promised to 
serve Thee, but afterwards I have so often turned 
my back upon Thee. I have promised Thee my 
love, and have afterwards refused it, as if Thou, my 
God, Who hast created and redeemed me, wast less 
worthy of my love than the creatures and the miser- 
able pleasures for which I have forsaken Th^e. 
Pardon me, my Jesus. I know my ingratitude, and 
I abhor it. I know that Thou art Infinite Goodness, 
and that Thou dost merit infinite love, especially 
from me, whom Thou hast loved so tenderly, after 
Thou hast received so many insults from me. Un- 
happy me ! Should I be damned, the graces which 




49° Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



Thou hast bestowed upon me, and the proofs of 
special love which Thou hast given me, would be the 
hell of my hell. Ah ! no, my Love, have mercy on 
me ; do not permit me ever to forsake Thee again, 
and to have, as I would deserve, to continue in hell, 
to repay with injuries and hatred the love which 
Thou hast borne me. Ah ! enamoured and faithful 
Heart of Jesus, inflame my miserable heart, that it 
may burn for Thee as Thou dost burn for me. My 
Jesus, it appears to me that I love Thee ; but I love 
Thee too little : make me love Thee ardently, that I 
may be faithful to Thee till death. This grace I ask 
of Thee, along with the grace to continue always to 
pray for it. Strike me dead rather than permit me 
to betray Thee again. 

O Mary, my Mother ! help me to be faithful to thy 
Son. 

Consecration to tlje Jgeart of $esus* 

■ — Y amiable Redeemer, what object more worthy 
of love could Thy Eternal Father command 
— * me to love ? Thou art the beauty of heaven, 
the love of Thy Father ; Thy heart is the seat of all 
virtues. O amiable Heart of my Jesus ! Thou de- 
servest the love of all hearts : and shall I refuse to 
give Thee my miserable heart? No, my dear Re- 
deemer, I offer it to Thee without reserve. I give 
Thee my entire will ; accept it, and dispose of it as 
Thou pleasest. I have nothing ; I can do nothing ; 
but I have received from Thee this heart, which no 
one can take from me, I may be deprived of my 
property, of my blood, of my life, but not of my 
heart. With this heart I can love Thee ; with this 
heart I wish to love Thee. Ah ! teach me, O my 
God ! a perfect forgetfulness of myself ; teach me 
what I ought to do in order to acquire Thy pure love 
which Thy goodness has inspired me to seek after. 
I feel within me a fixed determination to please 



Devotzo7i to Our Lord Jesus Christ. 491 



Thee ; but to fulfil it I expect and ask aid from Thee. 
To Thee, O loving Heart of Jesus ! it belongs to draw 
entirely to Thyself my poor heart, which has been 
hitherto so ungrateful to Thee, and which has, 
through its own fault, been deprived of Thy love. 
Ah ! grant that this heart of mine may be wholly on 
fire with the love of Thee, as Thine has been with 
the love of me. Grant that my will may be entirely 
united to Thy will, so that I may wish only what 
Thou wishest. and that henceforth Thy holy will 
may be the rule of all my actions, of all my thoughts, 
and of all my desires. I hope, O Lord ! that Thou 
wilt not refuse me the grace to fulfil this resolution 
which I make at Thy feet, of embracing in peace 
whatsoever arrangements Thou shalt make regard- 
ing me and all that belongs to me, as well during my 
life as at my death. 

Happy you, O immaculate Mary, whose heart was 
always and entirely conformed to the Heart of Jesus. 
Ah, my Mother, obtain for me the grace that for the 
future I may neither wish nor desire anything but 
what Jesus wishes and what you wish. 

SluotJjer Coitsccrarttoit to tljt ®cart of $cmis. 

ivixe Heart of Jesus, Heart filled with love 
for us, Heart created expressly for loving us, 
I this day draw near to the throne of Thy 
love, and present to Thee my miserable heart, so 
that it may be entirely consecrated to Thy good 
pleasure.' I likewise consecrate to Thee my body, 
so that it may aid me in pleasing Thee ; I consecrate 
to Thee my mind, that it may always be occupied 
with Thee; I consecrate to Thee my soul, that it 
may be all Thine. I choose Thee as the only King 
of my heart. Loving Heart, to thy goodness I en- 
trust all my interests, all my hopes, all my affections, 
all my life ; accept me and dispose of me as Thou 
wilt. May everything within me yield to Thy love : 




492 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



satisfactions, pleasures, self-will — do Thou be master 
over all. I prefer Thy love to all the kingdoms of 
the world. Beloved of my heart, I would that all 
men knew the tenderness of Thy love, so that all 
might live only to honor Thee. Beautiful flames, 
issuing from the Heart of Jesus burning with love, 
inflame me and destroy in my heart every affection 
that is not for Jesus. May I live only for that ami- 
able Saviour Who vouchsafed to give His life that 
He might be loved by me ! May I never cease say- 
ing in all truth : Heart of Jesus, Thou art the only 
Sovereign of my heart ! 

Mary, Mother of God, my Queen and my Mother, 
it is thou that hast bound my heart to the Heart of 
Jesus ; succor me always, that I may remain faithful 
to Him in life and in death. 

&ct of 3&eparatton to tjje ffytuxt of Jesus* 

See Twenty-fourth Visit, page 321. See also " Sentiments of Love 
toward Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament," page 473. 

Senttments of STentrer Affection for tfje ?geart of 



miable Heart of my Saviour, Thou art the 



seat of all virtue, the fountain of all graces, 



t j ie |3 Urn i n g furnace in which holy souls are 
enkindled with divine love; Thou art the delight 
of God ; Thou art the refuge of the afflicted and 
the dwelling-place of souls who love Thee. O 
Heart worthy of reigning over and being loved by 
all hearts! O Heart wounded for me on the cross 
by the lance of my sins, and Who, since then, 
hast been continually dwelling on our altars, for- 
ever being wounded by no other lance than that 
of the love Thou bearest me! O loving Heart that 
lovest men so tenderly and art so little loved by 
men ! do Thou Thyself remedy this great ingratitude, 
do Thou inflame our hearts with true love for Thee. 



Sesus, 




Devotion to the Holy Ghost. 



493 



Would that I could publish to the whole world the 
graces, the sweetness, the treasures Thou dost lavish 
on those who truly love Thee ! Accept my ardent 
desire of seeing all hearts burn with love of Thee. 

Divine Heart, be my consolation in my trials, my 
repose from my work, my relief in suffering, my 
haven in the tempest. To Thee I consecrate my 
body and my soul, my heart, my life, and all that I 
am. I unite all my thoughts, all my affections, all 
my desires to thine, Eternal Father. I offer Thee 
the most pure affections of the Heart of Jesus : if 
Thou dost reject mine, Thou canst not reject those 
of Thy Son, Who is holiness itself ; may they supply 
for what is wanting in me and render me agreeable 
in Thine eyes. 



3. Htevotion to tbe Ibolv (Bfooet 



^umtilr Supplication to tgc JQoIg £Hjost, 

Ioly Spirit, divine Paraclete. Father of the 



poor, Consoler of the afflicted, Light of 



hearts, Sanctifier of souls ! behold me pros- 
trate in Thy presence ; I adore Thee with the most 
profound submission, and I repeat a thousand times 
with the seraphs who are before Thy throne : " Holy, 
Holy, Holy !" I firmly believe that Thou art eternal, 
consubstantial with the Father and the Son. I hope 
that by Thy goodness Thou wilt sanctify and save 
my soul. I love Thee, O God of love ! I love Thee 
more than all the things of this world ; I love Thee 
with all my affections, because Thou art infinite good- 
ness that dost alone merit all my love ; and since, 
insensible as I have been to Thy holy inspirations, I 
have been so ungrateful as to offend Thee by so 
many sins, I ask Thee a thousand pardons for them, 



Litany of the Sacred Heart, see page 375. 




494 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



and I supermely regret having ever displeased Thee, 
O Sovereign Good ! I offer Thee my heart, cold as 
it is, and I supplicate Thee to let a ray of Thy light 
and a spark of Thy fire enter therein to melt the 
hardened ice of my iniquities. Thou Who didst fill 
the soul of Mary with immense graces, and didst in- 
flame the hearts of the apostles, vouchsafe also to 
set my heart on fire with Thy love. Thou art a 
divine Spirit : fortify me against evil spirits : Thou 
art a fire ; enkindle in me the fire of Thy love : Thou 
art a light ; enlighten me so that I may know 
eternal things : Thou art a Dove ; give me great 
purity of heart : Thou art a Breath that is full of 
sweetness ; dissipate the storms that my passions 
raise up against me : Thou art a Tongue ; teach me 
the manner of praising Thee without ceasing: Thou 
art a Cloud ; cover me with the shadow of Thy pro- 
tection : and if, finally, Thou art the Author of all 
heavenly gifts, ah, I beseech Thee to grant them to 
me. Vivify me by Thy grace, sanctify me by Thy 
charity, govern me by Thy wisdom, adopt me by 
Thy bounty as Thy child, and save me by Thy in- 
finite mercy, so that I may never cease to bless 
Thee, to praise Thee, to love Thee, at first during 
my life on this earth, and afterwards to all eternity 
in heaven. Amen. 



jpragers to oUain tfje <Sebeu Cktfts of tfje ?§oi£ 

i. To obtain the Gift of the Fear of the Lord. 

■~"oly Spirit, divine Consoler! I adore Thee as 
my true God, in the same way as I adore God 
the Father and God the Son. I bless Thee . 
by uniting myself to the blessings Thou dost receive 
from the angels and the seraphs. I offer Thee my 
whole heart, and I render Thee heart-felt thanks for 
all the benefits that Thou hast bestowed, and dost 



Devotion to the Holy Ghost. 495 

unceasingly bestow, upon the world. Thou Who 
art the Author of all supernatural gifts, and Who 
didst enrich with immense favors the soul of the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, I beseech 
Thee to visit me by Thy grace and Thy love, and to 
grant me t the gift of Thy holy Fear, in order that it 
may prevent me from falling any more into my past 
infidelities, for which I now ask Thy pardon a thous- 
and times. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc., 
three times. 

2. To obtain the Gift of Piety. 

jjOLY Spirit, etc. (as far as the mark t) — the 
gift of Piety, in order that I may in future 
serve Thee with greater fervor, follow Thy 
holy inspirations with greater promptness, and ob- 
serve Thy holy precepts with greater exactness. 

"Our Father," "Hail Mary," "Glory be," etc., 
three times. 

3. To obtain the Gift of Knowledge. 

|oly Spirit, etc. f — the gift of Knowledge, in 
order that I may be able to know well the 
things of God, and that, enlightened by Thy 
holy instructions, I may steadily walk in the way of 
my eternal salvation. 

"Our Father," "Hail Mary," "Glory be," etc., 
three ti??tes. 

4. To obtain the Gift of Fortitude. 

j|OLY Spirit, etc. f — the gift of Fortitude, in 
order that I may be able courageously to over- 
come all the attacks of the devil, and escape 
all the dangers of the world which stand in the way 
of my eternal salvation. 

"Our Father," "Hail Mary," "Glory be," etc., 
three times. 



496 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



5. To obtain the Gift of Counsel. 

j]OLY Spirit, etc. t — the gift of Counsel, in order 
that I may be able to choose what is most 
suitable to my spiritual advancement, and to 
discover all the snares and artifices of the evil spirit 
who tempts me. 

"Our Father," "Hail Mary," "Glory be," etc., 
three times. 

6. To obtain the Gift of Understanding. 

|]oly Spirit, etc. t — the gift of Understanding, 
in order that I may be able to understand the 
divine mysteries, and by the contemplation 
of heavenly things may detach my thoughts and 
affections from all the vanities of this miserable world. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc., 
three times. 

7. To obtain the Gift of Wisdom. 

j]OLY Spirit, etc. t — the gift of Wisdom, in order 
that I may be able to direct all my actions 
by referring them to God as my last end, so 
that by loving and serving Thee in this life as I ought 
to do, I may have the happiness of eternally pos- 
sessing Thee in the next. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc., 
three times. 

These prayers may be recited one on each day of the week, or may 
be used all together as a sort of crown or chaplet. 

J&etritattons on tge 3%ol$ (kfyoxL 

MEDITATION I. 

Love is a Fire that inflames the Heart. 

j|OD had ordered, in the ancient law, that there 
should be a fire kept continually burning on 
His altar : " The fire on the altar shall always 
burn" (Lev. vi. 12). St, Gregory says that the altars 



Devotion to the Holy Ghost. 



497 



of God are our hearts, where He desires that the fire 
of His divine love should always be burning; and 
therefore the Eternal Father, not satisfied with hav- 
ing given us His Son Jesus Christ, to save us by His 
death, would also give us the Holy Ghost, that He 
might dwell in our souls, and keep them constantly 
on fire with love. And Jesus Himself declared that 
He had come into the world on purpose to inflame 
our hearts with this holy fire, and that He desired 
nothing more than to see it kindled : "J am come to 
cast fire upon the earth ; and what will I but that 
it be kindled ?" (Luke xii. 49.) Forgetting, there- 
fore, the injuries and ingratitude He received from 
men on this earth, when He had ascended into 
heaven He sent down upon us the Holy Spirit. O 
most loving Redeemer, Thou dost, then, love us as 
well in Thy sufferings and ignominies as in Thy 
kingdom of glory! Hence it was that the Holy 
Ghost chose to appear in the supper-room under the 
form of tongues of fire : " And there appeared to 
them parted tongues, as it were of fire" ( Acts ii. 3). 
This was the holy fire which has inflamed the saints 
to do such great things for God, to love their enemies, 
to desire cpntempt, to deprive themselves of all 
earthly goods, and to embrace with delight even 
torments and death. Love cannot remain idle, and 
never says, " It is enough." When a soul loves God, 
the more she does for her Beloved, the more she 
desires to do, in order to please Him, and to attract 
to herself His affections. This holy fire is enkindled 
by mental prayer: "In my meditation a fire shall 
flame out" (^Ps. xxxviii. 4). If, therefore, we desire 
to burn with love towards God, let us love prayer; 
this is the blessed furnace in which this divine ardor 
is enkindled. 1 



1 These meditations may be made : 1. At any season of the year to 
obtain the grace of divine love ; 2. In preparation for holy Com- 



498 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Affections and Prayers. 

RS|||| my God, hitherto I have done nothing for 
[J Thee Who hast done such great things for 
me ! Alas ! my coldness deserves that Thou 
shouldst " vomit me out of Thy mouth." O Holy 
Spirit, I beseech Thee, "warm what is cold," deliver 
me from this coldness, and enkindle within me an 
earnest desire of pleasing Thee. I now renounce all 
my worldly gratifications ; and I will rather die than 
give Thee the least displeasure. Thou didst appear 
in the shape of fiery tongues ; I consecrate my tongue 
to Thee, that it may never offend Thee more. Thou 
didst give it me, O my God, to praise Thee with ; 
and I have made use of it to offend Thee, and to 
draw others also into sinning against Thee. I repent 
of it with my whole soul. Oh, for the love of Jesus 
Christ, Who, during His life on earth, honored Thee 
so much with His tongue, grant that I also may from 
this day forth honor Thee constantly, by celebrating 
Thy praises, by frequently invoking Thine aid, and 
by speaking of Thy goodness and the infinite love 
which Thou deservest ! I love Thee, my Sovereign 
Good ; I love Thee, O God of love ! O Mary, thou 
art the most dear spouse of the Holy Ghost; obtain 
for me this holy fire ! 



MEDITATION II. 



Love is a Light that enlightens the Soul. 

ne of the greatest evils which the sin of Adam 
has produced in us is that darkening of our 
reason by means of the passions which cloud 



our mind. Oh, how miserable is that soul which 
allows itself to be ruled by any passion ! Passion is, 



munion, or thanksgiving afterwards; 3. As a novena to obtain de- 
tachment from some creature; — or daily, from Ascension Day to 
Pentecost. 



Devotion to the Holy Ghost. 



499 



as it were, a vapor, a veil which prevents our seeing 
the truth. How can he fly from evil who does not 
know what is evil ? Besides, this obscurity increases 
in proportion as our sins increase. But the Holy 
Spirit, Who is called "most blessed light," is He 
Who not only inflames our hearts to love Him, 
through His divine splendor, but also dispels our 
darkness, and shows us the vanity of earthly things, 
the value of eternal goods, the importance of salva- 
tion, the price of grace, the goodness of God, the in- 
finite love which He deserves, and the immense love 
which He bears us. "The sensual man perceiveth 
not those things that are of the Spirit of God " (i 
Cor. ii. 14). A man who is absorbed in the pleasures 
of earth knows little of these truths, and therefore, 
unfortunate that he is, he loves what he ought to 
hate, and hates what he ought to love. St. Mary 
Magdalen de Pazzi exclaimed: " O love not known ! 
O love not loved I" And therefore St. Teresa said 
that God is not loved because He is not known. 
Hence the saints were always seeking light from 
God : " Send forth Thy light ; illuminate my dark- 
ness; open Thou my eyes." Yes: because without 
light we cannot avoid precipices, nor can one find 
God. 

Affections and Prayers. 

[Bgggal holy and divine Spirit, I believe that Thou 



art really God, but one only God with the 



1 °™^ ! Father and the Son. I adore Thee, and 
acknowledge Thee as the giver of all those lights by 
which Thou hast made known to me the evil which 
I have committed in offending Thee, and the obliga- 
tion which I am under of loving Thee. I thank 
Thee for them, and I repent with my whole heart of 
having offended Thee. I have deserved that Thou 
shouldst abandon me in my darkness ; but I see that 




500 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Thou hast not yet forsaken me. Continue, O eternal 
Spirit, to enlighten me, and to make me know more 
and more Thy infinite goodness ; and give me 
strength to love Thee for the future with my whole 
heart. Add grace to grace ; so that I may be sweetly 
overcome, and constrained to love none other but 
Thee. I implore this of Thee, through the merits of 
Jesus Christ. I love Thee, my Sovereign Good ; I 
love Thee more than myself. I desire to be entirely 
Thine ; do Thou accept me, and suffer me not to be 
separated from Thee any more. O Mary, my Mother, 
do thou always assist me by thy intercession ! 



MEDITATION III. 

Love is a Fountain that Satisfies. 

l^^gjlOVE is also called a living fountain: "a living 
||m fountain, fire, and charity." Our Blessed 
I 'm*" ! Redeemer said to the Samaritan woman : 
" But he that shall drink of the water that I will 
give him shall not thirst forever" (John iv. 13). 
Love is the water which satisfies our thirst ; he who 
loves God really with his whole heart neither seeks 
nor desires anything else; because in God he finds 
every good. Wherefore, satisfied with God, he often 
joyfully exclaims, " My God and my All !" My God, 
Thou art my whole good. But, however, the Al- 
mighty complains that many souls go about seeking 
for fleeting and miserable pleasures from creatures, 
and leave Him Who is the Infinite Good and Foun- 
tain of all joy : " They have forsaken Me, the Foun- 
tain of living water, and have digged to themselves 
cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" 
(Jer. ii. 13). Wherefore God, Who loves us, and 
desires to see us happy, cries out and makes known 
to all : " If any thirst, let him come to Me" (John 



Devotion to the Holy Ghost, 



vii. 37). He who desires to be happy, let him come 
to Me : and I will give him the Holy Ghost, Who will 
make him blessed both in this life and the next. 
" He that believeth in Me," He goes on to say, "as 
the Scripture saith, Out of his belly shall flow rivers 
of living water" (John vii. 38). He, therefore, that 
believes in Jesus Christ, and loves Him, shall be en- 
riched with so much grace, that from his heart (the 
heart, that is, the will, is the belly of the soul) shall 
flow many fountains of holy virtues, which shall not 
only serve to preserve his own life, but also to give 
life to others. And this water was the Holy Ghost, the 
substantial love which Jesus Christ promised to send 
us from heaven after His ascension. The key which 
opens the channels of this blessed water is holy 
prayer, which obtains every good for us in virtue of 
the promise, " Ask, and you shall receive." We are 
blind, poor, and weak; but prayer obtains for us 
light, strength, and abundance of grace. Theodoret 
said : " Prayer, though but one, can do all things." 
He who prays receives all he wishes. God desire? 
to give us His graces ; but He will have us pray for 
them. 



Affections and Prayers. 

ORD, give me this water." O my Jesus, wit! 
the Samaritan woman, I beseech Thee, give 
me this water of Thy love, which may make 
me forget the earth, to live only for Thee, O ami- 
able, infinite One. "Water that which is dry." My 
soul is a barren soil, which produces nothing but 
the weeds and thorns of sin ; oh, do Thou water it 
with Thy grace, so that it may bring forth some 
fruits to Thy glory, before death takes me out of 
this world- O Fountain of living water, O Sovereign 
Good, how many times have I left Thee for the pud- 
dles of this earth, which have deprived me of Thy 



502 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



love ! Oh, would that I had died before I offended 
Thee ! But for the future I will seek after nothing 
but Thee, O my God. Do Thou assist me, and en- 
able me to be faithful to Thee. Mary, my hope, do 
thou keep me always under thy protection ! 



MEDITATION IV. 



Love is a Dew which Fertilizes. 

jlHU.S does holy Church teach us to pray: " May 
the infusion of the Holy Ghost cleanse 
our hearts, and fertilize them by the interior 
sprinkling of His dew." Love fertilizes the good 
desires, the holy purposes, and the good works of our 
souls : these are the flowers and fruits which the 
grace of the Holy Spirit produces. Love is also 
called dew, because it cools the heart of bad passions 
and of temptations. Therefore the Holy Ghost is 
also called refreshment and cooling in the heat : " In 
heat refreshment and pleasing coolness." This dew 
descends into our hearts in the time of prayer. A 
quarter of an hour's prayer is sufficient to appease 
every passion of hatred or of inordinate love, how- 
ever ardent it may be : *■ He brought me into the 
cellar of wine, He set in order charity in me" (Cant, 
ii. 4). Holy meditation is this cellar where love is 
set in order, so that we love our neighbor as our- 
selves, and God above everything. He who loves 
God loves prayer ; and he that loves not prayer will 
find it morally impossible to overcome his passions. 

Affections and Prayers. 

holy and Divine Spirit, I will no longer live 
to myself ; but I will spend all the days that 
remain for me in this life in loving Thee and 
pleasing Thee. Therefore I beseech Thee to grant 
me the gift of prayer. Do Thou descend into my 



Devotion to the Holy Ghost, 



503 



heart, and teach me to pray as I ought. Give me 
strength not to leave it off through weariness in 
times of aridity; and give me the spirit of prayer, 
that is to say, the grace constantly to pray to Thee, 
and to use those prayers which are dearest to Thy 
Sacred Heart. I was once lost through my sins ; but 
I see, from all the kindnesses I have received from 
Thee, that Thou wiliest that I should be saved and 
become a saint ; and I desire to become a saint to 
give Thee pleasure, and that I may love Thy infinite 
goodness more and more. I love Thee, O my Sov- 
ereign Good, my Love, my All ; and because I love 
Thee I give myself entirely to Thee. O Mary, my 
hope, do Thou protect me ! 



Love is a Repose that Refreshes. 

OVE is also called, " in labor rest, in mourning 



comfort." Love is repose that refreshes; 



*' because the principal office of love is to 
unite the will of the lover to that of the beloved 
one. To a soul that loves God, in every affront that 
it receives, in every sorrow that it endures, in every 
loss that happens to it, the knowledge that it is the 
will of its Beloved that it should suffer these trials 
is enough to comfort it. It finds peace and content- 
ment in all tribulations by merely saying, This is the 
will of my God. This is that peace which surpasses 
all the pleasure of sense : " The peace of God which 
surpasseth all understanding" (Phil. iv. 7). St. 
Mary Magdalen de Pazzi, by merely saying, " The 
will of God," was always filled with joy. 

In this life every one must carry his cross ; but St. 
Teresa says that the cross is heavy for him that 
drags it, not for him that embraces it. Thus Our 
Lord knows well how to strike and how to heal : 
' He woundeth and cureth," as said Job (v. 18). 



MEDITATION V. 




J04 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



The Holy Spirit, by His sweet unction, renders even 
ignominies and torments sweet and pleasant: "Yea, 
Lord ; for so hath it seemed good in Thy sight " 
(Matt. xi. 26). Thus ought we to say in all adversi- 
ties that happen to us: "So be it done, Lord, be- 
cause so hath it pleased Thee." And when the fear 
of any temporal evil that may befall us alarms us, let 
us always say : " Do what Thou wilt, my God ; what- 
ever Thou dost, I accept it all from henceforth." 
And thus it is a very good thing to offer one's self 
constantly during the day to God, as did St. Teresa. 



my God, how often, for the sake of doing my 



own will, have I opposed myself to Thy will 



and despised it ! I regret this evil more 
than every other evil. O Lord, from this day forward 
I will love Thee with my whole heart : " Speak, 
Lord ; for Thy servant heareth." Tell me what Thou 
wouldst have me to do, I will do it all. Thy will 
shall be my only desire, my only love. O Holy 
Spirit, help my weakness. Thou art goodness itself; 
how can I love any other but Thee ? Oh, do Thou 
draw all my affections to Thyself by the sweetness 
of Thy holy love. I renounce everything, to give 
myself entirely to Thee. Do Thou accept me and 
help me. O Mary, my Mother, I trust in thee ! 



Love is the Virtue which gives us Strength. 

pjlovE is strong as death" (Cant. viii. 6). As 



there is no created strength that can resist 



— *1 death, so there is no difficulty for a loving 
soul ' which love cannot overcome. When there 
is question of pleasing its Beloved, love conquers 
all, — losses, contempt, and sorrow : " Nothing is so 



Affections and Prayers. 




MEDITATION VI. 




Devotion to the Holy Ghost. §05 



hard but that the fire of love can conquer it." This 
is the most certain mark whereby to know if a soul 
really loves God, if it is as faithful in love when 
things are adverse as when they are prosperous. St. 
Francis de Sales said that " God is quite as amiable 
when He chastises as when He consoles us, because 
He does all for love." Indeed, when He strikes us 
most in this life, then it is that He loves us most. 
St. John Chrysostom esteemed St. Paul in chains 
more fortunate than St. Paul rapt up into the third 
heaven. Hence the holy martyrs, in the midst of 
their torments, rejoiced and thanked the Lord, as 
for the greatest favor that could fall to their lot, that 
of having to suffer for His love. And other saints, 
where there were wanting tyrants to afflict them, 
became their own executioners, by the penances 
which they inflicted upon themselves in order to 
please God. St. Augustine says that " For that 
which men love, either no labor is felt, or the labor 
itself is loved/' 

Affections and Prayers. 

ffiSffl] God of my soul, I say that I love Thee ; and 



LwJ y et wnat d° I d° ^ or Thy love ? Nothing. 

This shows, therefore, that either I do not 
love Thee, or I love Thee too little. Send me, 
therefore, O my Jesus, Thy Holy Spirit, that He 
may come and give me strength to suffer for Thy 
love, and to do something for the love of Thee before 
death overtakes me. O my beloved Redeemer, let 
me not die cold and ungrateful as I have hitherto 
been to Thee. Grant me strength to love suffering, 
after so many sins whereby I have deserved hell. 
O my God, Who art all goodness and love, Thou 
desirest to dwell in my heart from which I have 
so often expelled Thee ; come, then, dwell within it, 
take possession of it, and make it entirely Thine. I 
love Thee, O my Lord ; and if I love Thee, Thou 




goS Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Augustine, "uniting us with God." Hence, full of 
joy, St. Laurence Justinian exclaims : O love, thy 
bond has such strength that it is able to bind even 
God, and unite Him to our souls: " O love, how 
strong is thy bond which could bind God!" The 
bonds of the world are bonds of death ; but the bonds 
of God are bonds of life and salvation : " Her bonds 
are a healthful binding" (Ecclus. vi. 31). Yes, be- 
cause the bonds of God by means of love unite us to 
God, Who is our true and only life. 

Before the coming of Jesus Christ men fled away 
from God, and, being attached to the earth, refused 
to unite themselves to their Creator; but the loving 
God has drawn them to Himself by the bonds of love, 
as He promised by the prophet Osee : " I will draw 
them with the cords of Adam, with the bands of 
love" (ch. xi. 4). These bands are the benefits, the 
lights, the calls to His love, the promises of paradise, 
which He makes to us ; but above all, the gift which 
He has bestowed upon us of Jesus Christ in the 
Sacrifice of the Cross and in the Sacrament of the 
Altar, and, finally, the gift of His Holy Spirit. There- 
fore the prophet exclaims : " Loose the bonds from 
off thy neck, O captive daughter of Sion" (Is. lii. 2). 
O my soul, thou who art created for heaven, loose 
thyself from the bonds of earth, and unite thyself 
to God by the bonds of holy love: "Have charity, 
which is the bond of perfection" (Coloss. iii. 14). 
Love is a bond which unites with herself all other 
virtues, and makes the soul perfect. " Love, and d'^ 
what you will," said St. Augustine. Love Go&, and 
do what thou wilt ; because he who loves God tries 
to avoid causing any displeasure to his Beloved, and 
seeks in all things to please Him. 



Devotion to the Holy Ghost, 



509 



Affections and Prayers. 

ISk^TH Y dearest Jesus, how much hast Thou not done 
BallB to °^ige me to love Thee, and how much 
Iggglg i hath it cost Thee to gain to Thyself my love ! 
Ah, I should be too ungrateful if I loved Thee little, 
or divided my heart between Thy creatures and Thy- 
self, after Thou hast given me Thy Blood and Thy 
Life. I will detach myself from everything, and in 
Thee alone will I place all my affections. But I am 
weak in carrying out this my desire. O Thou Who 
hast inspired me with it, do Thou give me strength to 
execute it. Pierce my poor soul, O dearest Jesus, 
with the sweet dart of Thy love, so that I may ever 
languish with desire of Thee, and be dissolved with 
the love of Thee ; that I may seek Thee alone, desire 
only Thee, and find none but Thee. My Jesus, I 
desire Thee, and Thee alone. Make me repeat con- 
tinually in this life, and especially at the hour of my 
death* " Thee alone do I desire, and nothing else." 
O Mary, my Mother, obtain for me that from hence- 
forth I may desire nothing but God ! 



MEDITATION IX. 

Love is a Treasure containing every Good. 

^ove is that treasure of which the Gospel says 
that we must leave all to obtain it ; yes, be- 
cause love makes us partakers of the friend- 
ship of God : " An infinite treasure to men, which 
they that use become the friends of God " (Wisd. vii. 
14). " O man," says St. Augustine, " wherefore, then, 
goest thou about seeking for good things ? Seek 
that one good alone in which all other good things 
are contained." But we cannot find God, Who is 
this Sovereign Good, if we do not forsake the things 
of the earth. St. Teresa writes : " Detach thy heart 
from creatures, and thou shalt find God." He that 
finds God finds all that he can desire : " Delight in 



Sio Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

the Lord, and He will give thee the requests of thy 
heart'' (Ps. xxxvi. 4). The human heart is constantly- 
seeking after good things that may render it happy ; 
but if it seeks them from creatures, how much soever 
it may acquire, it will never be satisfied with them ; 
but if it seeks God alone, God will satisfy all its de- 
sires. Who are the happiest people in this world, if 
it be not the saints? And why? Because they de- 
sire and seek only God. A certain prince, as he was 
going out hunting, saw a solitary who was running 
about in the forest, and asked him what he was doing 
in that desert. The solitary replied : " And thou, O 
prince, what art thou seeking?" The prince said: 
"I am going out in search of wild beasts." "And 
I," said the hermit, " am going out in search of God." 

The tyrant offered gold and gems to St. Clement, 
in order to persuade him to renounce Jesus Christ ; 
the saint exclaimed, with a sigh : " Alas, is God put 
into competition with a little dirt? Blessed is he 
who knows this treasure of divine love, and strives 
to obtain it. He who obtains it will of his own ac- 
cord divest himself of everything else, that he may 
have nothing else but God." "When the house is 
on fire," says St. Francis de Sales, "all the goods are 
thrown out of the windows." And Father Paul 
Segneri the Younger, a great servant of God, used to 
say that love is a thief which robs us of all earthly 
affections ; so that we can say : " And what else do I 
desire but Thee alone, O my Lord ?" 

Affections and . Prayers. 

my God, hitherto I have not sought Thee, but 



myself and my own pleasures; and for the 



sake of these I have turned my back upon 
Thee, my Sovereign Good. But I am comforted by 
these words of Jeremias : " The Lord is good to the 
soul that seeketh Him" (Lam. iii. 25). My beloved 
Saviour, I know the evil that I have committed in 




Devotion to the Holy Ghost. 



forsaking Thee, and I repent of it with my whole 
heart. I know that Thou art an infinite treasure. I 
will not abuse this light ; I will forsake all, and 
choose Thee for my only love. My God, my Love, 
my All, I love Thee. I desire Thee, I sigh after Thee. 
Come, O Holy Spirit, and destroy in me by Thy 
sacred fire every affection which has not Thee for its 
object. Grant that I may be all Thine, and that I 
may conquer everything to please Thee. O Mary, 
my Advocate and Mother, do thou help me by thy 
prayers ! 

MEDITATION X. 

On the Means of loving God and of becoming 
a Saint. 

he more we love God, the more holy do we be- 
come. St. Francis Borgia says that it is 
— ■ prayer that introduces divine love into the 
human heart ; and it is mortification that withdraws 
the heart from the earth, and renders it capable of 
receiving this holy fire. The more there is of the 
earth in the heart, the less room there is for holy 
love : " Wisdom is not to be found in the land of 
them that live in delights" (Job xxviii. 12, 13). Hence 
the saints have always sought to mortify as much as 
possible their self-love and their senses. The saints 
are few ; but we must live with the few, if we will be 
saved with the few: "Live with the few," writes St. 
John Climacus, "if you would reign with the few." 
And St. Bernard says : " That cannot be perfect 
which is not singular." But before all, in order to 
become saints, it is necessary to have the desire to 
be saints ; we must have the desire and the resolu- 
tion. Some are always desiring, but they never be- 
gin to put their hands to the work. " Of these ir- 
resolute souls," says St. Teresa, " the devil has no 
fear." On the other hand, the saint said, " God is a 
friend of generous souls." The devil tries to make 



5 12 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



it appear to us to be pride to think of doing great 
things for God. It would indeed be pride in us, if 
we thought of doing them trusting in our own 
strength ; but it is not pride to resolve to become 
saints trusting in God, and saying: "I can do all 
things in Him Who strengtheneth me." We must 
therefore be of good courage, make strong resolu- 
tions, and begin. Prayer can do everything. What 
we cannot do by our own strength, we shall do easily 
with the help of God, Who has promised to give us 
whatever we ask of Him : " You shall ask whatever 
you will, and it shall be done unto you" (John. xv. 7). 

Affections and Prayers. 

dearest Redeemer, Thou desirest my love, 
and commandest me to love Thee with my 
whole heart. Yes, my Jesus, I desire to love 
Thee with my whole heart. O my God, I will say to 
Thee, trusting in Thy mercy, my past sins do not 
make me fear, because I now hate them and detest 
them above every other evil ; and I know that Thou 
dost forget the offences of a soul that is penitent 
and loves Thee. Indeed, because I have offended 
Thee more than others, I will also love Thee more 
than others, with the help that I hope to obtain from 
Thee. O my Lord, Thou desirest that I should be a 
saint ; and I desire to become a saint to please Thee. 
I love Thee, O Infinite Goodness. To Thee do I 
give myself entirely. Thou art my only Good, my 
only Love. Accept me, O my Beloved, and make 
me entirely Thine, and suffer me not to offend Thee 
any more. Grant that I may be wholly consumed 
for Thee, as Thou hast wholly consumed Thyself for 
me. O Mary, the most loving and most beloved 
spouse of the Holy Spirit, obtain for me love and 
fidelity ! 



Devotion to the Holy Ghost. 



513 



*2Lttanp of tgr ?£oI» ^fjost, 

ORD, have mercy on us. 
Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. 
Lord, have mercy on us. 
Almighty and Eternal Father, have mercy on us. 
Jesus, Eternal Son of the Father and Redeemer of 
the world, save us. 

Spirit of the Father and the Son, eternal love of 
both, sanctify us. 

Holy Trinity, one God, hear us. 
Holy Ghost, Who proceedest from the Father 
and the Son, 

Holy Ghost, coequal with the Father and the 
Son, 

Promise of the Father, most loving and most 
bounteous, 

L Gift of the most high God, 
Ray of heavenly light, 
Author of all good, 
Source of living water, 
Consuming Fire, 
Spiritual Unction, 
Spirit of truth and of power, 
Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, 
Spirit of counsel and of fortitude, 
Spirit of knowledge and of piety, 
Spirit of the fear of the Lord, 
Spirit of grace and of prayer, 
Spirit of charity, peace, and joy, 
Spirit of patience and of goodness, 
Spirit of modesty and of chastity,- 
Spirit of adoption of the sons of God, 
Holy Ghost, the Comforter, 
Holy Ghost, the Sanctifier, 
Holy Ghost Who governest the Church, 
Holy Ghost Who fittest the whole world, 



514 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 

Holy Ghost, We beseech Thee, hear us. 
That Thou wouldst renew the face of the ] 
earth, 

That Thou wouldst shed abroad Thy light in 
our hearts, 

That Thou wouldst write Thy law in our 
hearts, 

That Thou wouldst inflame them with the 
fire of Thy love, 

That Thou wouldst open to us the treasures 
of Thy grace, 

That Thou wouldst teach us to ask for them 
according to Thy will, 

That Thou wouldst enlighten us with Thy 
heavenly inspirations, 

That Thou wouldst grant to us the knowl- 
edge alone necessary, 

That Thou wouldst direct us in the practice 
of good, 

That Thou wouldst give us the grace of all 
virtues, 

That Thou wouldst cause us to persevere in 
justice, 

That Thou wouldst be Thyself our everlast- 
ing reward, 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 
world, etc. 

V. Create in us a clean heart, O God. 
R. And renew a right spirit within us. 

Let us Pray. 

Grant, O merciful Father, that Thy divine Spirit 
may enlighten, inflame, and cleanse our hearts ; 
that He may penetrate us with His heavenly dew, 
and make us fruitful in good works.^Through Jesus 
Christ Our Lord. Amen. 



Devotion to the Holy Ghost. 5 1 5 



Kobena to tje ®ol» €5fjost tit preparation for tfje 
jFeast of Pentecost* 

(Commenci?ig on Ascension Day.) 

he Novena of the Holy Spirit is the chief of 
all the Novenas, because it was the first that 
— was ever celebrated, and that by the holy 
apostles and the most holy Mary in the supper-room, 
being distinguished by so many remarkable wonders 
and gifts ; principally by the gift of the same Holy 
Spirit, a gift merited for us by the Passion of Jesus 
Christ Himself. Jesus Himself made this known to 
us when He said to His disciples that if He did not 
die He could not send us the Holy Ghost : " If I go 
not, the Paraclete will not come to you ; but if I go, 
I will send Him to you" (John xvi. 7). We know 
well by faith that the Holy Ghost is the love that 
the Father and the Eternal Word bear one to the 
other ; and therefore the gift of love, which the Lord 
infuses into our souls, and which is the greatest of 
all gifts, is particularly attributed to the Holy Ghost, 
as St. Paul says, "The Charity of God is poured 
forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Who is 
given to us" (Rom. v. 5). In this Novena, therefore, 
we must consider, above all, the great value of divine 
love, in order that we may desire to obtain it, and 
endeavor, by devout exercises, and especially by 
prayer, to be made partakers of it, since God has 
promised it to him who asks for it with humility: 
" Your Father from heaven will give the good Spirit 
to them that ask Him" (Luke xi. 13). 

N. B. — During this Novena the Meditations, page 496, may he 
used. 



5 1 6 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 

4* devotion to tbe Bleseeb IDiroin* 

PRAYERS TO MARY. 

Mary is a Queen; not a Queen of justice punishing- the wicked, but 
a Queen of mercy, whose only office is having- pity on sinners and 
pardoning them. 




Mother of my God, and my Lady Mary! as 
a beggar,, all wounded and sore, presents 
himself before a great queen, so do I present 



myself before thee, who art the Queen of heaven and 
earth. From the lofty throne on which thou sittest, 
disdain not, I implore thee, to cast thine eyes on me, 
a poor sinner. God has made thee so rich in order 
that thou mightest assist the poor, and has consti- 
tuted thee Queen of Mercy in order that thou 
mightest relieve the miserable. Behold me, then, 
and pity me ; behold me and abandon me not, until 
thou seest me changed from a sinner into a saint. I 
know well that I merit nothing; nay, more: that I 
deserve, on account of my ingratitude, to be deprived 
of the graces which, through thy means, I have al- 
ready received from God. But thou, who art the 
Queen of Mercy, seekest not merits, but miseries, in 
order to help the needy. But who is more needy 
than I ? O exalted Virgin, well do I know that 
thou, who art the Queen of the universe, art already 
my Queen ; yet am I determined to dedicate myself 
more especially to Thy service, in order that thou 
mayest dispose of me as thou pleasest. Therefore 
do I address thee in the words of St. Bonaventure : 
"Do thou govern me, O my Queen, and leave me 
not to myself." Command me; employ me as thou 
wilt, and chastise me when I do not obey; for the 



Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 



517 



chastisements that come from thy hands will be to me 
pledges of salvation. I would rather be thy servant 
than the ruler of the earth. " I am thine ; save me." 
Accept me, O Mary, for thine own, and, as thine, 
take charge of my salvation. I will no longer be 
mine own : to thee do I give myself. If durhig 
the time past I have served thee ill, and lost so 
many occasions of honoring thee, for the future I 
will be one of thy most loving and faithful servants. 
I am determined that from this day forward no one 
shall surpass me in honoring and loving thee, my 
most amiable Queen. This I promise; and this, 
with Thy help, I hope to execute. Amen. 



Jesus, in dying - for the redemption of the human race, chose to be 
alone ; but seeing the ardent desire of Mary to aid in the salvation 
of man, He disposed it so that she, by the sacrifice and offering of 
the life of her Jesus, should co-operate in our salvation and thus be- 
come the Mother of our souls. 

^MOST holy Mother Mary, how is it possible 
that I, having so holy a Mother, should be so 

1 wicked ; having a Mother all burning with the 

love of God, should love creatures; a Mother so rich 
in virtue, should be so poor ? Ah, amiable Mother, it 
is true that I do not deserve any longer to be thy 
son, for by my wicked life I have rendered myself 
unworthy of so great an honor. I am satisfied to be 
thy servant ; and in order to be admitted amongst 
the humblest of them, I am ready to renounce all 
the kingdoms of the world. Yes, I am satisfied. 
But still thou must not forbid me to call thee 
Mother. 1 his name consoles me and fills me with 
tenderness, reminding me of my obligation to love 
thee. This name excites me to great confidence in 
thee. When my sins and the divine justice fill me 
most with consternation, I am all consoled at the 
thought that thou art my Mother. Allow me, then, 



5 1 8 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



to call thee Mother, my most amiable Mother. Thus 
do I call thee, and thus will I always call thee. 
Thou, after God, must be my hope, my refuge, my 
love in this valley of tears. Thus do I hope to die, 
breathing forth my soul into thy holy hands, and 
saying, My Mother, my Mother Mary, help me, have 
pity on me ! Amen. 



Our Lord revealed to St. Catherine of Siena "that he had created 
this His beloved Daughter to be as a most sweet bait by which to 
catch men, and especially sinners, and draw them to God." 



Lady, O ravisher of hearts ! I will exclaim 



with St. Bonaventure : " Lady, who with the 



fe™" ! love and favor thou showest thy servants 
dost ravish their hearts, ravish also my miserable 
heart, which desires ardently to love Thee. Thou, 
my Mother, hast enamoured a God with thy beauty, 
and drawn him from heaven into thy chaste womb; 
and shall I live without loving thee? " No," I will 
fcay to thee with one of thy most loving sons, John 
Berchmans of the Society of Jesus, " I will never rest 
until I am certain of having obtained a tender love 
of thee, my Mother, who hast loved me with so much 
tenderness," even when I was ungrateful towards 
thee. And what should I now be, O Mary, if thou 
hadst not obtained so many mercies for me? Since, 
then, thou didst love me so much when I loved thee 
not, how much more may I not now hope from thee, 
now that I love thee ? I love thee, O my Mother, 
and I would that I had a heart to love thee -in place 
of all those unfortunate creatures who love thee not. 
I would that I could speak with a thousand tongues, 
that all might know thy greatness, thy holiness, thy 
mercy, and the love with which thou lovest all who 
love thee. Had I riches, I would employ them all 
for thy honor. Had I subjects, I would make them 
all lovers of thee. In fine, if the occasion presented 



2To fflavy), Skabtsfjer of Starts* 




Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 



519 



itself I would lay down my life for thy glory. I love 
thee, then, O my Mother; but at the same time I 
fear that I do not love thee as I ought ; for I hear 
that love makes lovers like the person loved. If, 
then, 1 see myself so unlike thee, it is a mark that I 
do not love thee. Thou art so pure, and I am de- 
filed with many sins ; thou art so humble, and I am 
so proud ; thou art so holy, and I am so wicked. 
This, then, is what thou hast to do, O Mary : since 
thou lovest me, make me like unto thee. Thou hast 
all power to change hearts ; take, then, mine and 
change it. Show the world what thou canst do for 
those who love thee. Make me a saint ; make me 
thy worthy child. This is my hope. 



Mary is the Mother of Mercy. Now, mercy can only be exercised 
where there are sins to be forgiven. 

|K5J3| my sovereign Queen and worthy Mother of 



my God, most holy Mary ! seeing myself so 



* p ™ fl l despicable and loaded with so many sins, I 
ought not to presume to call thee Mother, or even 
to approach thee ; yet I will not allow my miseries 
to deprive me of the consolation and confidence 
that I feel in calling thee Mother ; I know well that 
I deserve that thou shouldst reject me ; but I be- 
seech thee to remember all that thy Son Jesus has 
endured for me, and then reject me if thou canst. I 
am a wretched sinner, who, more than all others, 
has despised the infinite majesty of God : but the 
evil is done. To thee have I recourse ; thou canst 
help me ; my Mother, help me. Say not that thou 
canst not do so ; for I know that thou art all-power- 
ful, and that thou obtainest whatever thou desirest 
of God ; and if thou sayest that thou wilt not help me, 
tell. me at least to whom I can apply in this my so 
great misfortune. " Either pity me," will I say with 




520 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



the devout St. Anselm, " O my Jesus, by forgiving 
me, and thou, my Mother Mary, by interceding for 
me; or at least tell me who is more compassionate, 
or in whom I can have greater confidence than in 
ye." Oh, no ; neither on earth nor in heaven can I 
find any one who has more compassion for the miser- 
able, or who is better able to assist me, than thou 
canst, O Mary. Thou, O Jesus, art my Father, and 
thou, Mary, art my Mother. Ye both love those who 
are the most miserable, and go seeking them to save 
them. I deserve hell, and am the most miserable of 
all. But you need not seek me, nor do I presume to 
ask so much. I now present myself before you with 
a certain hope that I shall not be abandoned. Be- 
hold me at your feet : my Jesus, forgive me ; My 
Mother Mary, help me. 

2To ffiavgt j&efttge of Stutters* 

Mary is the only refuge of those who have offended God, the 
asylum of all who are oppressed by temptation, calamity, or persecu- 
tion. This Mother is all mercy, benignity, and sweetness, not only 
to the just, but also to despairing - sinners; so that no sooner does she 
perceive them coming to her, than sh^ aids them, welcomes them, 
and obtains their pardon from her Son. 

■ ehold, O Mother of my God, my only hope, 
Mary ! behold at thy feet a miserable sinner, 
who asks thee for mercy. Thou art pro- 
claimed and called by the whole Church, and by all 
the faithful, the Refuge of sinners. Thou art conse- 
quently my refuge ; thou hast to save me. Thou 
knowest, most sweet Mother of God, how much thy 
blessed Son desires our salvation. Thou knowest 
all that Jesus Christ endured to obtain it. 1 present 
thee, O my Mother, the sufferings of Jesus : the cold 
that He endured in the stable, His journey into 
Egypt, His toils, His sweat, the blood that He shed; 
the anguish which caused His death on the cross, and 
of which thou wast thyself a witness. Oh, show that 
thou lovest thy beloved Son, by assisting me. Ex- 



Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 



521 



tend thy hand to a poor creature who has fallen and 
asks thy help. Were I a saint, I would not need 
seek thy mercy ; but because I am a sinner, I fly to 
thee, who art the Mother of mercies. I know that 
thy compassionate heart finds its consolation in as- 
sisting the miserable, when thou canst do so and 
dost not find them obstinate. Console, then, thy 
compassionate heart, and console me also this day; 
for now thou hast the opportunity of saving a poor 
creature condemned to hell; and thou canst do so, 
for I will not be obstinate. I abandon myself into 
thy hands ; only tell me what thou wouldst have me 
do, and obtain for me strength to do it, for I am re- 
solved on recovering divine grace. I take refuge 
under thy mantle ; Jesus wills that I should have re- 
course to thee, in order not only that His Blood may 
save me, but also that thy prayers may assist me. 
He sends me to thee, that thou mayest help me. O 
Mary, see, I have recourse to thee ; in thee do I 
conrlde. Thou prayest for so many others, pray also 
for me. Tell Our Lord that thou desirest my salva- 
tion, and Godwill certainly save me. Say that I am 
thine, and then I have obtained all that I ask, all 
that I desire. 

£0 iUari), our onI» 3^opc after <£oo\ 

Ah ! if all men would but have recourse to Mary ! He who does 
not have recourse to Mary is sure to fall and be lost. 

Mother of holy love, our life, our refuge, 



and our hope, thou well knowest that thy 



Son Jesus Christ, not content with being 
Himself our perpetual advocate with the Eternal 
Father, has willed that thou also shouldst interest 
thyself with Him, in order to obtain the divine 
mercies for us. He has decreed that thy prayers 
should aid our salvation, and has made them so 
efficacious that they obtain all that they ask. To 




522 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



thee, therefore, who art the hope of the miserable, 
do I, a wretched sinner, turn my eyes. I trust, O 
Lady, that in the first place through the merits of 
Jesus Christ, and then through thy intercession, I 
shall be saved. Of this I am certain ; and my confi- 
dence in thee is such, that if my eternal salvation 
were in my own hands, I should place it in thine, 
for I rely more on thy mercy and protection than on 
all my own works. My Mother and my hope, aban- 
don me not, though I deserve that thou shouldst do 
so. See my miseries, and, being moved thereby with 
compassion, help and save me. I own that 1 have 
too often closed my heart, by my sins, against the 
lights and helps that thou hast procured for me 
from the Lord. But thy compassion for the miser- 
able, and thy power with God, far surpass the num- 
ber and malice of my sins. It is well known to all, 
both in heaven and on earth, that whosoever is pro- 
tected by thee is certainly saved. All may forget 
me, provided only that thou dost remember me, O 
Mother of an Omnipotent God. Tell Him that I 
am thy servant ; say only that thou protectest me, 
and I shall be saved. O Mary, I trust in thee ; I 
desire and hope to live and die, repeating always, 
Jesus is my only hope, and after Jesus the most 
felessed Virgin Mary." 

&o J&ars, ouv gimiahlz 33 enef actress* 

" Every good, every help, every grace that men ever have re- 
ceived or ever will receive from God, to the end of time, comes to 
them by the hands of Mary." 

|gjpjgj|| thank thee, my most loving Mother, for all 
kIPS tnou nast done for me who am deserving of 
| ™afl | hell. And from how many dangers hast 
thou not delivered me, O Queen ! How many in- 
spirations and mercies hast thou not obtained for 
me from God ! What service, what honor, have I 
ever rendered thee, that thou shouldst do so much 



Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 



5^3 



for me ? I know that it is thy sole goodness that 
has impelled thee. Ah, too little would it be, in 
comparison with all that I owe Thee, did I shed my 
blood and give my life for thee ; for thou hast deliv- 
ered me from eternal death ; thou hast enabled me, 
as I hope, to recover divine grace ; in fine, it is to 
thee I owe all I have. My most amiable Lady, I, a 
poor wretch, can make thee no return but that of 
always loving and praising thee. Ah. disdain not to 
accept the tender affection of a poor sinner, who is 
inflamed with love for thy goodness. If my heart is 
unworthy to love thee, because it is impure and 
filled with earthly affections, thou must change it. 
Ah, change it, then. Bind me to my God, and bind 
me so that I may never more have it in my power to 
separate myself from His love* Thou askest of me 
that I should love thy God, and I ask of thee that 
thou shouldst obtain for me that I may love Him al- 
ways ; this is what I desire. Amen. 

£0 i^aru, ttjr Distributor of traces. 

Mary is God's treasure and the treasurer of His graces; she plenti- 
fully endows her servants with choice gifts. 

|S§|jb| Queen and Mother of mercy, whoso liberally 



dispensest graces to all who have recourse 



l "^ ) to thee because thou art a Queen, and so 
lovingly because thou art our most loving Mother: 
to Thee do I. who am devoid of all merit and virtue, 
and loaded with -debts to divine justice, recommend 
myself this day. O Mary, thou holde.sx the keys of 
all the divine mercies ; forget not mv miseries, and 
leave me not in my poverty. Thou art so liberal 
with all, and givest more than is asked of thee; oh, be 
thou equally liberal with me. O Lady, protect me; 
this is all that I ask of thee. If thou protectest me, 
I fear nothing. I fear no: the evil spirits; for thou 
art more powerful than they. I fear not my sins ; 
for thou by one word canst obtain their full pardon 




524 Devotions for Differ -ent Seasons of the Year, 



from God. And if I have thy favor, I do not even 
fear an angry God ; for a single prayer of thine will 
appease Him. In fine, if thou protectest me, I hope 
all ; for thou art all-powerful. O Mother of mercy, 
I know that thou takest pleasure in helping those 
who are most miserable, and thou canst help them 
if they be not obstinate. I am a sinner, but I am not 
obstinate; I desire to change my life. Thou canst, 
then, help me: oh, help me and save me. I now 
place myself entirely in thy hands. Tell me what I 
must do in order to please God, and I am ready to 
do all, with thy help, O Mary— Mary my Mother, 
my light, my consolation, my refuge, my hope. 
Amen, amen, amen. 

Bo J$*ar#, our &lHpotoerfu-l ^trbocate* 

u O Wonderful mercy of our God, Who, in order that we might not 
fly on account of the sentence that might be pronounced against 
us, has given us His own Mother and the Patroness of graces to be 
our Advocate !" 

my most sweet Lady, since thy office is, as 
William of Paris says, that of a Mediatress 
between God and sinners, I will address 
thee in the words of St. Thomas of Villanova : " Ful- 
fil thy office in my behalf, O tender Advocate ; do 
thy work." Say not that my cause is too difficult to 
be gained ; for I know, and all tell me, that every 
cause, no matter how desperate, if undertaken by 
thee, never can or will be lost. And will mine be 
lost? Ah, no; this I cannot fear. The only thing 
that I might fear is that, on seeing the multitude of 
my sins, thou mightest not undertake my defence. 
But, on seeing thy immense mercy, and the very 
great desire of thy most sweet heart to help the most 
abandoned sinners, even this I cannot fear. And 
who that had recourse to thee was ever lost ? There- 
fore I invoke thy aid, O my great Advocate, my ref- 
uge, my hope, my Mother Mary. To thy hands do 




Devotio?i to the Blessed Virgin, 



525 



I entrust the cause of my eternal salvation. To thee 
do I commit my soul ; it was lost, but thou hast to 
save it. I will always thank Our Lord for having 
given me this great confidence in thee, which, not- 
withstanding my unworthiness, I feel is an assurance 
of salvation. I have but one fear to afflict me, O be- 
loved Queen, and that is that I may one day, by my 
own negligence, lose this confidence in thee. And 
therefore I implore thee, O Mary, by the love thou 
bearest to Jesus, to preserve and increase in me 
more and more this sweet confidence in thy inter- 
cession, by which I hope most certainly to recover 
the divine friendship which I have hitherto so mad- 
ly despised and lost ; and having recovered it, I 
hope, through thee, to preserve it; and preserving it 
by the same means, I hope at length to thank thee 
for it in heaven, and there to sing God's mercies and 
thine to all eternity. Amen. This is my hope; 
thus may it be, thus will it be. 

£0 Jttar$, ^>rlp of tfjosc tojo rail on i)tx. 

Many things are asked from God, and are not granted; they are 
asked from Mary, and are obtained. And how is this ? Is Mary 
more powerful than God? No; it is because God has decreed that 
He will thus honor His Mother. 

ftMfll Mother of God, Queen of angels and hope of 



men, give ear to one who calls upon thee and 



^ BSfl ' has recourse to thy protection. Behold me 
this day prostrate at thy feet ; I, a miserable slave of 
hell, devote myself entirely to thee. I desire to be 
forever thy servant. I offer myself to serve and 
honor thee to the utmost of my power during the 
whole of my life. I know that the service of one so 
vile and miserable as I can be no honor to thee, 
since I have grievously offended Jesus, thy Son 
and my Redeemer. But if thou wilt accept one so 
unworthy for thy servant, and, by thy intercession, 
change me, thus making me worthy, this very mercy 




526 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



will give thee that honor which so miserable a 
wretch as I can never give thee. Receive me, then, 
and reject me not, O my Mother. The Eternal 
Word came from heaven on earth to seek for lost 
sheep, and to save them He became thy Son. And 
when one of them goes to thee to find Jesus, wilt 
thou despise it? The price of my salvation is al- 
ready paid ; my Saviour has already shed His Blood, 
which suffices to save an infinity of worlds. This 
Blood has only to be applied even to such a one as I 
am. And that is thy office, O Blessed Virgin ; to 
thee does it belong, as I am told by St. Bernard, to 
dispense the merits of this Blood to whom thou 
pleasest. To thee does it belong, says St. Bonaven- 
ture, to save whomsoever thou wiliest. Oh, then, 
help me, my Queen ; my Queen, save me. To thee 
do I this day consecrate my whole soul ; do thou 
save it, O salvation of those who invoke thee. 

£0 J&ars, ^trbocate of tf)e Unfortunate 

The Son loves that His Mother should ask Him favors, because He 
wishes to grant her all that she asks of Him, as a recognition of His 
obligations to her for her having consented to give Him His human 
nature. 

ilwiLL address thee, O great Mother of God, in 
the words of St. Bernard : " Speak, O Lady, 
for thy Son heareth thee, and whatever thou 
askest thou wilt obtain." Speak, speak, then, O 
Mary, our Advocate, in favor of us poor miserable 
creatures. Remember that it was also for our good 
that thou didst receive such great power and so high 
a dignity. A God was pleased to become thy debtor 
by taking human nature of thee, in order that thou 
mightest dispense at will the riches of divine mercy 
to sinners. We are thy servants, devoted in a special 
manner to thee ; and I am one of these, I trust. We 
glory in living under thy protection. Since thou 
dost good to all, even to those who neither know 



Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 



527 



nor honor thee, nay, more, to those who outrage and 
blaspheme thee, how much more may we not hope 
from thy benignity, which seeks out the wretched in 
order to relieve them — we who honor, love, and con- 
fide in thee ? We are great sinners, but God has en- 
riched thee with compassion and power far exceed- 
ing our iniquities. Thou canst and hast the will to 
save us ; and the greater our unworthiness, the 
greater will be our hope in order to glorify thee the 
more in heaven, when, by thy intercession, we get 
there. O Mother of mercy, we present thee our 
souls, once cleansed and rendered beautiful in the 
Blood of Jesus Christ, but, alas since that time ! de- 
filed by sin. To thee do we present them ; do thou 
purify them. Obtain for us true conversion ; obtain 
for us the love of God, perseverance, heaven. We 
ask thee for much ; but what is it ? perhaps thou 
canst not obtain all? It is perhaps too much for the 
love God bears thee ? Ah, no ! for thou hast only 
to open thy lips and ask thy divine Son ; He will 
deny thee nothing. Pray, then, pray, O Mary, for 
us ; pray ; thou wilt certainly obtain all : and we 
shall with the same certainty obtain the kingdom of 
heaven. 



Since this divine Mother brought into the world the source of 
tender compassion, far be it from her ever to deny her mercy to a 
sinner who has recourse to her. 



great Mother of my Lord, I see full well that 



my ingratitude towards God and thee for so 



many years has merited for me that thou 
shouldst abandon me and no longer have a care of 
me, for an ungrateful soul is no longer worthy of fa- 
vors. But I, O Lady, have a high idea of thy great 
goodness , I believe it to be far greater than my in-' 
gratitude. Continue, then, O refuge of sinners, and 
cease not to help a miserable sinner who confides in 



£0 f^arg, our £ertam Stefeufcer* 




528 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



thee. O Mother of mercy, deign to extend a help- 
ing hand to a poor fallen wretch who asks thee for 
pity. O Mary, either defend me thyself or tell me 
to whom I can have recourse ; and who is better able 
to defend me than thou ? and where can I find a 
more clement and powerful advocate than thou, who 
art the Mother of God ? Thou, in becoming the 
Mother of Our Saviour, wast thereby made a fitting 
instrument to save sinners, and wast given me for 
my salvation. O Mary, save him who has recourse 
to thee. I deserve not thy love ; but it is thine own 
desire to save sinners ; therefore do I hope that thou 
lovest me. And if thou lovest me, how can I be 
lost ? O my own beloved Mother, if by thee I save 
my soul, as I hope to do, I shall no longer be un- 
grateful ; I shall make up for my past ingratitude, 
and for the love which thou hast shown me, by my 
everlasting praises, and all the affections of my soul. 
Happy in heaven, where thou reignest, and wilt 
reign forever, I shall always sing thy mercies, and to 
all eternity kiss those loving hands which have deliv- 
ered me from hell, which I have deserved by my 
sins. O Mary, my liberator, my hope, my Queen, 
my advocate, my own sweet Mother, I love thee ; I 
desire thy glory, and I love thee forever. Amen, 
amen. Thus do I hope. 



A generous dispenser of divine grace, this Mother of mercy- 
showers down the treasures of liberality on her servants. 



greatest and most sublime of all creatures, 



most sacred Virgin, I salute thee from this 



earth — I, a miserable and unfortunate rebel 
against my God, who deserve chastisement, not fa- 
vors, justice, or mercy. O Lady, I say not this be- 
cause I doubt thy compassion. I know that the 
greater thou art the more thou dost glory in being 
benign. I know that thou rejoicest that thou art so 



Eo iHarw* 2Ucottuier of ^tuners* 




Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 529 



rich, because thou art thus enabled to succor us poor 
miserable creatures. I know that the greater the 
poverty of those who have recourse to thee, the more 
dost thou exert thyself to protect and save them, 

my Mother, it was thou who didst one day weep 
over thy Son who died for me. Offer, I beseech 
thee, thy tears to God, and by them obtain for me 
true sorrow for my sins. Even as sinners then af- 
flicted thee, I, by my crimes, am now doing the same. 
Obtain for me, O Mary, that at least from this day 
forward I may not continue to afflict thee and thy Son 
by my ingratitude. Of what avail would be thy sor- 
row if I continued to be ungrateful to thee ? To 
what purpose would thy mercy have been shown me 
if, again, I was unfaithful ? No, my Queen, permit it 
not ; thou hast supplied for all my shortcomings. 
Thou obtainest from God what thou wilt. Thou 
grantest the prayers of all. I ask of thee two graces, 

1 claim them from thee, and will not be satisfied with 
less. Obtain for me that I may be faithful to God, 
never more offend Him, and love Him during the 
remainder of my life as much as I had previously 
offended Him. 

Eo if&ars, most ^mtafcle of Creatures* 

Although this loving- Sovereign is good to all, even to the un« 
grateful and negligent, yet she is still more loving to those who love: 
her and call on her. 

Queen of heaven and earth ! O Mother of 
gjgffll the Lord of the world ! O Mary, of all 
!^=SJ creatures the greatest, the most exalted, and 
the most amiable ! it is true that there are many 
in this world who neither know thee nor love 
thee ; but in heaven there are many millions of an- 
gels and blessed spirits, who love and praise thee 
continually. Even in this world, how many happy 
souls are there not who burn with thy love and are 
enamoured with thy goodness ! Oh, that I also could 



530 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

love thee, O Lady worthy of all love ! Oh, that I could 
always remember to serve thee, to praise thee, to 
honor thee, and engage all to love thee ! Thou didst 
attract the love of God, Whom, by thy beauty, thou 
didst draw down from the bosom of His Eternal 
Father, and engage to become man, and to be thy 
Son. And shall not I, a poor worm of the earth, be 
enamoured of thee ? Ah, my most sweet Mother, I 
also will love thee much, and will do all that I can to 
make others love thee also. Accept, then, O Mary, 
the desire that I have of loving thee. I know 
how favorably thy lovers are looked upon by God. 
He, after His own glory, desires nothing more than 
thine, and to see thee honored and loved by all. 
From thee, O Lady, do I expect all; through thee I 
look for the remission of my sins, and perseverance. 
Thou must assist me at death, and deliver me from 
purgatory ; and, finally, thou must lead me to heaven. 
All this thy lovers hope from thee, and are not de- 
ceived. I, who love thee with so much affection, 
and above all but God, hope for the same favors. 



Eo j$Uir£, (fknnn of jparatrtse* 

In the realms of glory, Mary's servants will be clothed in daz- 
zling and rich garments, by which they will be recognized as belong- 
ing to her court and high in her friendship. 

Queen of heaven, Mother of holy love! since 
thou art the most amiable of creatures, the 
most beloved of God, and His greatest lover, 
be pleased to accept the love of the most miserable 
sinner living in this world, who by thy means was 
delivered from hell, without any merit on his part. 
I would desire, were it in my power, to let all men 
who know thee not know how worthy thou art of 
love, so that all might love and honor thee. I would 
desire to die for the love of thee, in defence of thy 
virginity, of thy dignity of Mother of God, of thy 
Immaculate Conception, should this be necessary. 



Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 531 



Ah ! my most beloved Mother, accept this my ardent 
desire, and never allow a servant of thine, who loves 
thee, to become the enemy of that God Whom thou 
lovest so well. Alas ! I, too, was His enemy when I 
offended Him. But then, O Mary, I loved thee but 
little, and strove but little to be beloved by thee. 
Bat now there is nothing that I so much desire, 
after the grace of God, as to love and be loved by 
thee. I am not discouraged on account of my past 
sins, for I know that thou, O most benign and gra- 
cious Lady, dost not disdain to love even the most 
wretched sinners if they but love thee; nay, more: that 
thou never allowest thyself to be surpassed by any 
in love. Ah ! Queen most worthy of love, I desire 
to love thee in heaven. There, at thy feet, I shall 
better know how worthy thou art of love, how much 
thou hast done to save me ; and thus I shall love 
thee with greater love, and love thee eternally, with- 
out fear of ever ceasing to love thee. 

J9ra»cr to i&ar» for acquiring TXtrtues* 
1555531 Mother of mercy, others may ask what they 



please of thee, — bodily health, earthly goods 



anc [ advantages ; but I come, O Lady, to ask 
thee for that which thou desirest of me, and which 
is most in conformity with thy most sacred heart. 
Thou art so humble ; obtain for me humility and 
love of contempt. Thou wast so patient under the 
sufferings of this life ; obtain for me patience in 
trials. Thou wast all filled with the love of God ; 
obtain for me the gift of His pure and holy love. 
Thou wast all love towards thy neighbor ; obtain for 
me charity towards all, and particularly towards 
those who are in any way my enemies. Thou wast 
entirely united to the divine will ; obtain for me 
entire conformity to the will of God in whatever way 
He may be pleased to dispose of me. Thou, in fine, 




532 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year* 

art the most holy of all creatures ; O Mary, make me 
a saint. Love for me is not wanting on thy part ; 
thou canst do all, and thou hast the will to obtain 
me all. The only thing, then, that can prevent me 
from receiving thy graces is, either neglect on my 
part in having recourse to thee, or too little confi- 
dence in thy intercession ; but these two things thou 
must obtain for me. These two great graces I ask 
from thee ; from thee I must obtain them ; from thee 
I hope for them with the greatest confidence, O 
Mary, my Mother Mary, my hope, my love, my life, 
my refuge, my help, and my consolation. Amen. 

jpra^er to tije immaculate ®eart of J&arg* 

What but compassion can ever flow from a source of compassion? 

tasrai most pure Virgin Mary, I venerate thy most 



holy heart, that heart overflowing with 



P™** ! humility, purity, and divine love, which 
was the delight and resting-place of God. I, an 
unhappy sinner, approach thee with a heart all 
stained and wounded. O compassionate Mother, 
disdain me not on this account; let such a sight 
rather move thee to greater tenderness, and excite 
thee to help me. Consider all that Jesus has 
done and suffered for me, and then abandon me 
if thou canst. I offer thee all the pains of His 
life; the cold that he endured in the stable; His 
journey into Egypt ; the blood which He shed; the 
poverty, sweats, sorrows, and death that he endured 
for me. O Lady, deny not thy compassion to one 
to whom Jesus has not denied His Blood. But the 
merits of this Blood will not be applied to me unless 
thou recommendest me to God. Through thee do 
I hope for salvation. I ask not for riches, honors, or 
earthly goods. I seek only the grace of God, love 
towards thy Son, the accomplishment of His will, 
and His heavenly kingdom, that I may love Him 




Devotion to ike Blessed Virgin, 533 



eternally, Is it possible that thou wilt not hear me ? 
No; for already thou hast granted my prayer, as I 
hope ; already thou art praying for me ; already thou 
art obtaining me the graces that I ask; already thou 
art taking me under thy protection. My Mother, 
abandon me not. Never, never cease to pray for 
me, until thou seest me safe in heaven at thy feet, 
blessing and thanking thee forever. Amen. 

drawer of a fteltgums to il&ar2>* 

If Mary so loves the faithful, how must she not love religious who 
have sacrificed their liberty, their life, their all for the love of Jesus 
Christ ! 

[fWgpsT amiable, loving, and beloved Queen, I ren- 
l&wfl der thee continual thanks, as also to my 
|2™Lil | Saviour, for having taken me out of the 
world and called me to this order, where devotion 
to thee is singularly held in honor and practised. 
Take me into thy service, O my tender Mother; 
miserable though I be, yet refuse me not a place 
among the many souls thou holdest dear. After God, 
thou shalt always be my hope and my love. In all 
my needs, in all my trials, in all my temptations, it 
is to thee that I will always have recourse as my 
refuge and my consolation. I wish for naught but 
God and thee to support me in the struggles, afflic- 
tions, and contrarieties of life. I renounce all else, 
preferring to serve thee rather than to reign over 
the whole world. For me, reigning would be serv- 
ing, loving, and blessing thee on earth, my sweetest 
sovereign ; for, as St. Anselm says, serving Thee is 
reigning. Mother of Perseverance, obtain for me 
the grace of being faithful to thee until death, and 
thus I hope to arrive one day in thy glorious dwell- 
ing : there will I kneel at thy feet, praising and bless- 
ing thee to all eternity. Jesus and Mary, sweet 
objects of my love, may I suffer for ye, may I die for 
ye, may I be all yours and in no way my own ! 



534 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



FEASTS OF MARY. 



Devout clients of Mary are all attention and fervor in celebrating 
the Novenas of her Feasts, and in return the Blessed Virgin is all 
love in dispensing innumerable and most special graces to them. 

The following devotions may be used during the Novenas: 

1. Make a meditation. 

2. Visit Mary (before her statue or picture), reciting nine times 
the "Hail Mary" and the prayer given here proper to the feast 
being commemorated. 

3. Make many acts of love to Mary and to Jesus. 

4. Each day make a quarter of an hour's spiritual reading on the 
glories of Mary. 

5. Practise some mortification. 

6. Receive holy Communion on the day of the feast. 

7. Make a solemn act of consecration to Mary after receiving holy 
Communion. 



Virtue to be asked : Purity of Intention. 

Recite daily nine times the " Hail Mary," and then say the follow- 
ing prayer : 

[pSj8I|n, my Immaculate Lady! I rejoice with thee 



Bail on seeing thee enriched with so great purity. 

I thank our common Creator for having 
preserved thee from every stain of sin, and will al- 
ways thank Him. I would that the whole world 
knew thee and acknowledged thee as being that 
beautiful " Dawn" which was always illumined with 
divine light ; as that chosen " Ark" of salvation, free 
from the common shipwreck of sin ; that perfect and 
immaculate "Dove" which thy divine Spouse de- 
clared thee to be ; that " enclosed Garden" which was 
the delight of God ; that " sealed Fountain" whose 
waters were never troubled by an enemy ; and, finally, 
as that " white Lily" which was born in the midst of 
the thorns of the children of Adam. His children 
are conceived in sin, and are the enemies of God ; but 
thou alone wast conceived pure and spotless, and in 
all things agreeable to thy Creator. Permit me, then, 



Nobeua of tyt Kmmarculate Conception* 

Commencing November 29. 




Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 



S3S 



to praise thee also as thy God Himself has praised 
thee : " Thou art all fair, and there is not a spot in 
thee. " O most pure Dove, all fair, all beautiful, al- 
ways the friend of God. " Oh, how beautiful art thou, 
my beloved! how beautiful art thou!" Ah, most 
sweet, most amiable, immaculate Mary, thou who 
art so beautiful in the eyes of thy Lord, — ah, disdain 
not to cast thy compassionate eyes on the wounds of 
my soul, loathsome though they be. Behold me, 
pity me, heal me. O beautiful Loadstone of hearts, 
draw my miserable heart to thyself. O thou who 
from the first moment of thy life didst appear pure 
and beautiful before God, pity me, who not only was 
born in sin, but since baptism have again stained my 
soul with sin. What grace will God ever refuse thee, 
Who chose thee for His Daughter, His Mother, and 
His Spouse, and therefore preserved thee from every 
stain, and in His love preferred thee to all other 
creatures? " Immaculate Virgin, thou hast to save 
me." Grant that I may always remember thee ; and 
thou, do thou never forget me. The happy day 
when I shall go to behold thy beauty in paradise 
seems a thousand years off; so much do I long to 
praise and love thee more than I can now do, my 
Mother, my Queen, my beloved, most beautiful, most 
sweet, most pure, immaculate Mary. Amen. 



Recite daily nine times the " Hail Mary," and then say the follow- 
ing- prayer : 

[RSnjrai holy Mother of God, and my Mother Mary, 



thou wast so deeply interested in my salva- 



l^gafl l t j on as to Q ff er U p the dearest object of thy 
heart, thy beloved Jesus ! Since, then, thou didst so 
much desire to see me saved, it is right that, after 



Nobnta of t\)t -gurtftcattott* 

Commencing January 2,\th, 
Virtue : Obedience. 




536 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Yea?* 



God, I should place all my hopes in thee. Oh, yes* 
most Blessed Virgin, I do indeed entirely confide in 
thee. Ah, by the merit of the great sacrifice which 
thou didst offer this day to God, the sacrifice of the 
life of thy Son, entreat Him to have pity on my poor 
soul, for which this Immaculate Lamb did not refuse 
to die on the cross. I could desire, O my Queen, to 
offer my poor heart to God on this day, in imitation 
of thee ; but I fear that, seeing it so sinful and loath- 
some, He may refuse it. But if thou offerest it to 
Him, He will not reject it. He accepts the offerings 
presented to Him by thy most pure hands. To thee, 
then, O Mary, do I this day present myself, miserable 
as I am ; to thee do I give myself without reserve. 
Do thou offer me as thy servant, together with Jesus, 
to the Eternal Father ; and beseech Him, by the 
merits of thy Son and for thy sake, to accept me and 
take me as His own. Ah, my sweetest Mother, for 
the love of thy sacrificed Son, help me always and at 
all times, and abandon me not. Never permit me 
to lose by my sins this most amiable Redeemer, 
Whom on this day thou didst offer with such bitter 
grief to the cruel death of the cross. Remind Him 
that I am thy servant ; that I have placed all my hope 
in thee ; say, in fine, that thou wiliest my salvation, 
and then He will graciously hear thee. 

Nobeita of tijt gummctatiorc* 

Commencing March 16th. 

Virtue : Humility. 

Recite daily nine times the "Hail Mary," and then say the follow- 
ing prayer : 

immaculate and holy Virgin ! O creature 
most humble and yet most exalted before 
God ! Thou wast so lowly in thine own eyes, 
but so great in the eyes of thy Lord, that He exalted 
thee to such a degree as to choose thee for His Mother, 




Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 53^ 



and then made thee Queen of heaven and earth. I 
therefore thank God Who so greatly has exalted thee, 
and rejoice in seeing thee so closely united with Him 
that more cannot be granted to a pure creature. Be- 
fore thee, who art so humble, though endowed with 
such precious gifts, I am ashamed to appear — I, who 
am so proud in spite of my many sins. But miser- 
able as I am, I will also salute thee: Hail Mary, 
full of grace. Thou art already full of grace; im- 
part a portion of it to me. Our Lord is with thee. 
That Lord Who was always with thee from the first 
moment of thy creation has now united Himself 
more closely to thee by becoming thy Son. Blessed 
art thou amongst women. O Lady, blessed amongst 
all women, obtain the divine blessing for us also. 
And blessed is the fruit of thy woinb. O blessed 
Plant which hath given to the world so noble 
and holy a fruit! Holy Mary, Mother of God ! O 
Mary, I acknowledge that thou art the true Mother 
of God, and in defence of this truth I am ready to 
give my life a thousand times. Pray for us sinners. 
But if thou art the Mother of God, thou art also 
the Mother of our salvation, and of us poor sinners ; 
for God became man to save sinners, and made thee 
His Mother, that thy prayers might have power to 
save any sinner. Hasten, then, O Mary, and pray 
for us, now and at the hour of our death. Pray always : 
pray now, whilst we live in the midst of so many 
temptations and dangers of losing God ; but still 
more, pray for us at the hour of our death, when w r e 
are on the point of leaving this worki, and being pre- 
sented before God's tribunal, so that, being saved by 
the merits of Jesus Christ and by thy intercession, 
we may come one day, without further danger of be- 
ing lost, to salute thee and praise thee with thy Son 
in heaven for all eternity. Amen. 



538 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Hobetta of tjje Visitation, 

Commencing June 23d. 
Virtue : Charity towards our Neighbor. 

Recite daily nine times the " Hail Mary," and then say the follow- 
ing prayer: 

immaculate and Blessed Virgin, since thou 
art the universal dispenser of all divine graces, 
thou art the hope of all, and my hope. I will 
ever thank my Lord for having granted me the grace 
of knowing thee, and for having shown me the means 
by which I may obtain graces and be saved. Thou art 
this means, O great Mother of God ; for I now under- 
stand that it is principally through the merits of Jesus 
Christ, and then through thy intercession, that my 
soul must be saved. Ah! my Queen, thou who didst 
hasten so greatly to visit and sanctify the dwelling of 
St. Elizabeth ; deign to visit quickly the poor house 
of my soul. Ah ! hasten, then, for thou well knowest 
how poor it is, and with how many maladies it is 
afflicted; how my disordered affections, evil habits, 
and sins are pestiferous diseases, which wouJd lead 
it to eternal death. Thou canst enrich it, O treasurer 
of God ; and thou canst heal all its infirmities. Visit 
me, then, in life, and visit me especially at the mo- 
ment of death, for then I shall more than ever require 
thy aid. I do not indeed expect that thou shouldst 
visit me on this earth with thy visible presence, as 
thou hast visited so many of thy servants ; but they 
were not unworthy and ungrateful as I am. I am 
satisfied to see thee in thy kingdom of heaven, there 
to be able to love thee more, and thank thee for all 
that thou hast done for me. At present I am satis- 
fied that thou shouldst visit me with thy mercy; 
thy prayers are all that I desire. 

Let us make an agreement, O Lady : while I live 
may I confide in thee ; thou, on thy part, do thou 
charge thyself with my salvation. Amen. 




Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 



539 



Commencing August 6th. 



Virtue: Universal Detachment with a View of Pre- 
paring for Death. 

Recite daily nine times the " Hail Mary," and then say the follow- 
ing prayer: 



most sweet Lady and our Mother, thou hast 



M£kJ a ^ rea -dy left the earth and reached thy king- 
dom, where, as queen, thou art enthroned 
above all the choirs of angels, as the Church sings : 
" She is exalted above the choirs of angels in the 
celestial kingdom." We well know that we sinners 
are not worthy to possess thee in this valley of dark- 
ness ; but we also know that thou, in thy greatness, 
hast never forgotten us miserable creatures, and that, 
though exalted to so great glory, thou hast never 
lost compassion for us poor children of Adam ; nay, 
even that it is increased in thee. From the high 
throne, then, to which thou art exalted, turn, O 
Mary, thy compassionate eyes upon us, and pity us. 
Remember, also, that in leaving this world thou 
didst promise not to forget us. Look at us and 
succor us. See in the midst of what tempests and 
dangers we shall constantly be until the end of our 
lives. By the merits of thy happy death, obtain us 
holy perseverance in the divine friendship, that we 
may finally quit this life in God's grace ; and thus 
we also shall one day come to kiss thy feet in para- 
dise, and unite with the blessed spirits in praising 
thee and singing thy glories as thou deservest. 
Amen. 




§4o Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Commencing August 2,0th. 
Virtue: Commencement of a more Fervent Life. 

Recite daily nine times the " Hail Mary," then say the following 
prayer: 

HOLY and heavenly Infant, Thou Who art the 
destined Mother of my Redeemer and the 
great mediatress of miserable sinners, pity 
me. It is true that for my ingratitude to God and 
to thee I deserve that God and thou should abandon 
me ; but I have heard, and believe it to be so (know- 
ing the greatness of thy mercy), that thou dost not 
refuse to help any one who recommends himself to 
thee with confidence. O most exalted creature in 
the world ! O saint of saints ! O Mary ! abyss of 
charity, and full of grace, succor a miserable creature 
who by his own fault has lost the divine favor. I know 
that thou art so dear to God that He denies thee 
nothing. I know also that thy pleasure is to use thy 
greatness for the relief of miserable sinners. Ah, 
then show how great is the favor that thou enjoyest 
with God, by obtaining me a divine light and flame 
so powerful that I may be changed from a sinner 
into a saint ; and that, detaching myself from every 
earthly affection, divine love may be enkindled in 
me. Do this, O Lady, for thou canst do it. Do it 
for the love of God, Who has made thee so great, so 
powerful, and so compassionate. This is my hope. 
Amen. 

Hobens of tfje 33 vtumtution. 

Com?ne7tcing November \2.th. 
Virtue : The Sacrifice of some Object to which we 
are particularly attached. 

Recite daily nine times the "Hail Mary," then say the following 
prayer: 




beloved Mother of God, most amiable child 
Mary, thou didst present thyself in the 
Temple, and with promptitude and without 




Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 541 



reserve didst consecrate thyself to the glory and 
love of God ; could I but otter thee, this day. the 
first years of my life, to devote myself without re- 
serve to thy service, my holy and most sweet Lady! 
But it is now too late to do this ; for, unfortunate 
creature that I am. I have lost so many years in the 
service of the world and my own caprices, and have 
lived in almost entire forgetfulness of thee and of 
God : " Woe to that time in which I did not love 
thee !'' But it is better to begin late than not at all. 
Behold. O Mary, I this day present myself to thee, 
and I otfer myself without reserve to thy service for 
the long or short time that I still have to live in 
this world ; and in union with thee I renounce all 
creatures, and devote myself entirely to the love of 
my Creator. I consecrate my mind to thee, O 
Queen, that it may always dwell on the love that 
thou deservest, my tongue that it may praise thee ; 
my heart, that it may love thee. Do thou accept, O 
most holy Virgin, the ottering which this miserable 
sinner now makes thee ; accept it. I beseech thee, by 
the consolation that thy heart experienced when thou 
didst give thyself to God in the Temple. But since 
I enter thy service late, it is reasonable that I should 
redouble my acts of homage and love, thereby to 
compensate for lost time. Do thou help my weak- 
ness with thy powerful intercession. O Mother of 
mercy, by obtaining me perseverance from thy Jesus, 
and strength to be always faithful to thee until 
death ; that, thus always serving thee in life, I may 
praise thee in paradise for all eternity. Amen. 

-MONTH OF MARY. 

The month of Mary may be celebrated by the same exercises as 
are prescribed, page 534. for Xovenas. In addition it would be well 
to prepare a little altar in the house, and place on it a statue of the 
Blessed Virgin adorned with some flowers. Before this altar, the 
Litany, the Beads, and other prayers could be recited. If the 
M Month of Mary" is publicly celebrated in the parish or neighboring- 
church, it would be well to attend these exercises, not only to satisfy 



542 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



private devotion, but also in order to give a good example. It would 
be well, also, to contribute in some way to the decoration of the 
Blessed Virgin's altar during the month. 



DEVOTION TO THE DOLORS OF MARY. 

$ra»er to <©ur 3Lartrg of Sorrotos, 
||fpf my afflicted Mother ! Queen of martyrs and 



of sorrows, thou didst bitterly weep over thy 



^^^ 1 Son, Who died for my salvation ; but what 
will thy tears avail me if I have the misfortune of 
losing my soul ? By the merits, then, of thy sorrows, 
obtain for me true contrition for my sins, and a real 
amendment of life, together with constant and tender 
compassion for the sufferings of Jesus and thy dolors. 
And if Jesus and thou, being so innocent, have 
suffered so much for love of me, obtain that at least 
I, who am deserving of hell, may surfer something 
for your love. " O Lady," will I say with St. Bona- 
venture, " if I have offended thee, in justice wound 
my heart; if I have served thee, I now ask wounds 
for my reward. It is shameful to me to see my Lord 
Jesus wounded, and thee wounded with Him, and 
myself without a wound." In fine, O my Mother, 
by the grief that thou didst experience in seeing 
thy Son bow down his head and expire on the cross 
in the midst of so many torments, I beseech thee 
to obtain me a good death. Ah, cease not, O advo- 
cate of sinners, to assist my afflicted soul in the 
midst of the combat in which it will have to engage 
on its great passage from time to eternity. And as 
it is probable that I may then have lost my speech 
and strength to invoke thy name and that of Jesus, 
Who are all my hope, I do so now ; I invoke thy Son 
and thee to succor me in that last moment ; and I 
say, Jesus and Mary, to you I commend my soul. 
Amen. 




Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 543 



Recite seven times the " Hail Mary," followed each time by the 
prayer : 

* Bid me bear, O Mother blessed ! 
On my heart the wounds impressed 
Suffered by the Crucified. 

300 days' 1 indulgence, once a day, to all who, contrite in heart, shall 
say " Hail Mary" seven times, with the above stanza to each " Hail 
Mary." Plenary indulgence, once a month, on the usual conditions, 
on a day at choice, for all who shall devoutly practise this exercise for 
a month. (June i8, 1876.) 



Kobetta to tfje i&otfjer of <Sorrotos* 

Commencing the Friday before the second Sunday in 
Septe7nber. 

Virtue: Courage and Patience under Affliction. 

Recite daily the prayer" O my afflicted Mother," etc., and also the 
seven indulgenced "Hail Marys," with the versicle as given above. 



Hittle 3&osar£ tit fflonov of t§t Sebeu HBoiors 
of ptarj)* 

l£& l &3l NCLINE unto m i ne a id, O God ! O Lord ! make 
HO haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, 
| BgAa | anc j to t ] ie 5 on> anc j to t j ie Holy Ghost. As 

it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, 
world without end. Amen. 

I pity thee, O afflicted Mother, on account of 
the first sword of sorrow that pierced thy heart, when 
in the Temple all the outrages which men would in- 
flict on thy beloved Jesus were presented before thee 
by St. Simeon, which outrages thou already knewest 
by the Sacred Scriptures. These outrages were to 
cause Him to die before thine eyes, on that infamous 
cross', exhausted of His blood, abandoned by all, and 
thyself unable to defend or help Him. By that bitter 
knowledge, then, which for so many years afflicted 
thy heart, I beseech thee, my Queen, to obtain me 
the grace that during my life and at my death I may 



544 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 

ever keep the Passion of Jesus and thy sorrows im- 
pressed on my heart. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

I pity thee, my afflicted Mother, for the second 
sword which pierced thy heart, when, soon after His 
birth, thou didst behold thy innocent Son threatened 
with death by those very men for whose salvation 
He had come into the world ; so that in the darkness 
of night thou wast obliged to fly secretly with Him 
into Egypt. By the many hardships, then, which 
thou, a delicate young virgin, in company with thine 
exiled Child, didst endure in so long and fatiguing a 
journey through rough and desert countries, and 
during thy residence in Egypt, where, being unknown 
and a stranger, thou didst live for so many years in 
poverty and contempt, — I beseech thee, my beloved 
Lady, to obtain for me grace to suffer with patience 
until death, in thy company, the trials of this miser- 
able life ; that I may thus in the next escape the 
eternal punishments of hell, which I have deserved. 

" Our Father," etc. 

I pity thee, my sorrowful Mother, on account of 
the third sword which pierced thy heart in the loss 
of thy dear Son Jesus, Who remained absent from 
thee in Jerusalem for three days. No longer seeing 
thy Beloved by thy side, and not knowing the cause 
of His absence, I can well imagine, my loving Queen, 
that during those nights thou didst only sigh for 
Him, Who was all thy treasure. By the sighs, then, 
of those three days, for thee too long and bitter, I 
beseech thee to obtain me the grace that I may never 
lose my God ; that thus, always clinging to Him, I 
may leave the world united to Him. 

" Our Father," etc. 

I pity thee, my sorrowful Mother, for the fourth 
sword which pierced thy heart, in seeing thy Son 
condemned to death, bound with cords and chains 
covered with blood and wounds, crowned with thorns 



Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 545 



falling under the weight of a heavy cross which He 
carried on His wounded shoulders, going as an in- 
nocent Lamb to die for love of us. Thine eyes met 
His, and His met thine ; and your glances were as so 
many cruel arrows, which wounded your loving hearts. 
By this great sorrow, then, I beseech thee to obtain 
me the grace to live in all things resigned to the will 
of my God, and to carry my cross cheerfully in com- 
pany with Jesus, until my last breath. 
" Our Father," etc. 

I pity thee, my afflicted Mother, for the fifth 
sword which pierced thy heart, when on Mount 
Calvary thou didst behold thy beloved Son Jesus 
slowly dying before thy eyes, amid so many torments 
and insults, on that hard bed of the cross, where 
thou couldst not administer Him even the least of 
those comforts that are granted to the greatest crim- 
inals at the hour of death. I beseech thee, by the 
agony which thou, my most loving Mother, didst en- 
dure together with thy dying Son, and by the sad- 
ness which thou didst feel when, for the last time, 
He spoke to thee from the cross and bade thee fare- 
well, and left all of us, in the person of St. John, to 
thee as thy children; by that constancy with which 
thou didst then see Him bow down His head and 
expire, I beseech thee to obtain me the grace, from 
thy crucified love, to live and die crucified to all 
earthly things, that I may spend my life for God 
alone, and thus one day enter paradise to enjoy Him 
face to face. 

" Our Father," etc. 

I pity thee, my afflicted Mother, for the sixth 
sword which pierced thy heart, when thou didst see 
the sweet Heart of thy Son pierced through and 
through. He was already dead, and had died for 
those ungrateful creatures who, even after His death, 
were not satisfied with the torments they had in- 
flicted upon Him. By this cruel sorrow, then, which 



546 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

was all thine, I beseech thee to obtain me the grace 
to dwell in the heart of Jesus, wounded and opened 
for me; in that heart, I say, which is the beautiful 
abode of love in which all souls who love God re- 
pose ; so that, living there, I may never think of or 
love anything but God. Most sacred Virgin, thou 
canst obtain this for me ; from thee do I hope for it. 
" Our Father," etc. 

I pity thee, my afflicted Mother, for the seventh 
sword which pierced thy heart on seeing thy Son 
in thy arms already dead, no longer fair and beauti- 
ful as thou didst receive Him in the stable of Beth- 
lehem, but covered with blood, livid and all lacerated 
with wounds, so that even His bones were seen ; 
thou didst then say : " My Son, my Son, to what has 
love reduced Thee !" And when He was borne to 
the sepulchre, thou wouldst thyself accompany Him, 
and place Him with thy own hands in the tomb ; 
and bidding Him the last farewell, thou didst leave 
thy loving heart buried with, thy Son. By this 
martyrdom of thy beautiful soul do thou obtain me, 
O Mother of fair love, the forgiveness of the offences 
which I have committed against my beloved God, 
and of which I repent with my whole heart. Do thou 
defend me in temptations, do thou assist me at the 
moment of my death, that, saving my soul through 
the merits of Jesus and through thine, I may one 
day, after this miserable exile, go to paradise to sing 
the praises of Jesus and of thee for all eternity. Amen. 

" Our Father," etc. 

Pray for us, O most sorrowful Virgin : that we 
may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. 

Let us Pray. 

O God, at Whose Passion, according to the proph- 
ecy of Simeon, a sword of sorrow did pierce through 
the most sweet soul of the glorious Virgin aad 



Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, 



547 



Mother Mary ; grant that we, who commemorate 
and reverence her dolors, may experience the blessed 
effect of Thy Passion, Who livest and reignest world 
without end. Amen. 

DEVOTION TO OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL 
HELP. 1 

Entruraenceir draper to tfje 3§ol» Kame of i&ars. 2 

KSsjjal Mother of Perpetual Help! grant that I 
tfe^j may ever invoke thy most powerful name, 
which is the safeguard of the living, and the 
salvation of the dying. O purest Mary ! O sweetest 
Mary ! let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. 
Delay not, O blessed Lady ! to succor me, whenever 
I call on thee ; for in all my temptations, in all my 
needs, I shall never cease to call on thee, ever repeat- 
ing thy sacred name, Mary, Mary. Oh, what con- 
solation, what sweetness, what confidence, what 
emotion fills my soul when I utter thy sacred name, 
or even only think of thee ! I thank the Lord for 
having given thee, for my good, so sweet, so power- 
ful, so lovely a name. But I will not be content with 
merely uttering thy name. Let my love for thee 
prompt me ever to hail thee, Mother of Perpetual 
Help. 

BcMcatton of <&nt f * Self to i$ars* 

OST holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God, whom 
I love to honor under the lovely title of 
Mother of Perpetual Help, I, N., although 
most unworthy to be thy servant, yet moved by thy 
wonderful compassion, and by my desire to serve 
thee, now choose thee, in presence of my guardian 

1 See note page 134. 

2 By a rescript of May 17, 1866, 100 days' indulgence is granted, once 
a day, to all the faithful who devoutly and with a contrite heart shall 
recite the above prayer. 



548 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

angel and of the whole celestial court, for my espe- 
cial Lady, Advocate, and Mother : and I firmly pur- 
pose always to love and serve thee for the future, 
and to do whatever I can to induce others to love 
and serve thee also. I beseech thee, O Mother of 
God, and my most compassionate and loving Mother, 
by the Blood which thy Son shed for me, to receive 
me into the number of thy servants, to be thy child 
and servant forever. Assist me in all my thoughts, 
words, and actions in every moment of my life, so 
that every step that I take, and every breath that I 
draw, may be directed to the greater glory of my 
God ; and through thy most powerful intercession, 
may I never more offend my beloved Jesus, but may 
I glorify Him, and love Him in this life, and love 
thee also, my most beloved and dear Mother, so that 
I may love thee and enjoy thee in heaven for all 
eternity. Amen. 

My Mother Mary, I recommend my soul to thee, 
and especially at the hour of my death. 

JBeiricatton of a jFamtlj? lo jft*ar£* 
[IMfeM our Lady of Perpetual Help, Blessed Vir- 



gin, Immaculate Queen and our Mother Mary, 



[ffigg&^l re f U g e an( j consolation of all miserable crea- 
tures ; prostrate before thy throne, with my whole 
family, I choose thee for my Lady, Mother, and Ad- 
vocate with God. I dedicate myself, with all who 
belong to me, forever to thy service, and beseech 
thee, O Mother of God, to receive us into the num- 
ber of thy servants, by taking us all under thy pro- 
tection, helping us in life, and still more at the hour 
of our death. O Mother of. mercy, I appoint thee 
as Lady and Ruler of my whole house, of my rela- 
tives, of my interests, and of all my affairs. Disdain 
not to take charge of them : dispose of all as it 
pleases thee. Bless me, then, and all my family, and 
do not permit that any of us should offend thy Son. 




Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 



549 



Do thou defend uc in temptations, deliver us from 
dangers, provide for us our necessities, counsel us in 
our doubts, comfort us in our afflictions, assist us in 
our infirmities, and especially in the sorrows of 
death. Never allow the devil to glory in having any 
of us who are now consecrated to thee in his power ; 
but grant that in heaven we may with thee, and 
thanking thee, praise and love Jesus our Redeemer 
to all eternity. Amen. 

* Nobetta to <£ur 2Latr» of perpetual ffltlp. 

To obtain some spiritual or temporal favor. 

Recite each day nine " Hail Marys, 1 ' and then say the following 
prayer: 

^our Lady of Perpetual Help, show that 
thou art indeed our Mother, and obtain for me 
— {Here specify the desired favor, such as : restora- 
tion to health, the cure of a child, the conversion of a 
spouse, of a son, of a father, the success of some affair, 
the outcry over some fanlt, etc.), and the grace to use 
it for the glory of God and the salvation of my soul. 

Glorious St. Alphonsus, who by thy confidence in 
the Blessed Virgin didst obtain from her so many 
favors, and who, by thy writings, hast shown us 
what graces God bestows on us by the hands of 
Mary ! obtain for me the greatest confidence in our 
good Mother of Perpetual Help, and beg of her to 
grant me the favor I am asking of her power and 
maternal goodness. 

Eternal Father, in the name of Jesus, and by the 
intercession of our Mother of Perpetual Help, and 
of St. Alphonsus, I pray Thee to hear my prayer, to 
the greater glory of God and the good of my soul. 
Amen. 

It would be of great utility for several to unite in making - the No- 
vena, and to terminate it by a good confession and Communion. — A 
promise might also be made to the Blessed Virgin if she will grant 



550 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



your request that, in her honor, you will receive Holy Communion in 
thanksgiving on seven consecutive Saturdays or Sundays, or estab- 
lish the custom in your family of the daily recitation of the Beads, 
etc. 



3Pious Ettbocatttws to <&ux fflotljtx oi tytvpttuul 

j]uR Mother of Perpetual Help, blessed 
amongst women, who didst find grace before 
God, Help us. 
Daugher of Adam, honored by God as His " 
true Mother, 

Spiritual Mother of our souls and of our sal- 
vation, 

Mother of beautiful love, 

Who hast loved us so much that, for our 
sake, thou didst consent to the death of 
thine only Son, 

To whom Jesus Christ, in dying, confided 
us, saying, " Woman, behold thy Son," 

Who wast given to us for Mother by thy 
crucified Son, when He said to St. John, 
" Behold thy Mother," 

Who, by the merit of thy sorrows, didst 
co-operate in our salvation, 

In whose hands God has placed the price 
of our redemption, 

Whom we cannot weary of calling our 
Mother, 

Whom God created as a sweet entice- 
ment to sinners, 

Who art the Ravisher of hearts, 
Who surpassest all other mothers in 
love, 

Who art the Mediatrix between God and 
man, 

Who art all-powerful through thy Son's 
. omnipotence, 



So 



so 



Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. 



Who art the Dispenser of the treasures 
contained in the Heart of Jesus, 

Who desirest still more ardently to dis- 
pense graces than we to receive them, 

Who canst not behold our miseries with- 
out taking compassion on them, 

Who art immensely rich in mercy, 

Who feelest thyself slighted when we 
ask naught of thee, 

Who prayest unceasingly to preserve us 
from all the ills that threaten us, 

Who dost obtain the pardon of all sin- 
ners who have recourse to thee, 

Whose glory it is to be Mother of mercy, 

Who hast the privilege of always having 
thy petitions granted by thy Son, 

Who hastenest to the help of those who 
invoke thee, 

Who art prompter in helping us than we 
in invoking thee, 

Invoking whom is the sure means by 
which to triumph over all the assaults of 
hell, 

Who dost never repulse those who call 
on thee, 

Who offerest the effects of thy mercy to 
all men without any exception, 

Who art ever praying to thy divine Son 
for us, 

Who hast never been invoked in vain, 
Who art the salvation of all who call on 
thee, 

Whose name is one of grace and heaven- 
ly benediction, 

Who consolest in their afflictions all 
who rely on thee, 

Who art our assured refuge in all the 
- dangers of this life, 



552 



Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Who art our consoler in our sorrows, 

Who bestowest special favors on the 
faithful imitators of thy chastity, 

Who kindlest divine love in the hearts 
that love thee, 

Whose function it is to be the Advocate 
of sinners, 

Who art always occupied with the great 
affair of our salvation, 

Filled with insatiable zeal for our de- 
fense, 

Who dost gain every cause that thou 
dost undertake, 

Who art filled with solicitude for men, 

Who, after God, art our only hope, 

In whom we can still hope when hope 
seems at an end, 

Who dost promise perseverance to all 
who serve thee faithfully, 

Who art the consoler of the dying, 

Devotion to whom is a safe-conduct to 
keep out of hell, 

Who dost solace souls and deliver them 
from purgatory, 

Through whom the elect arrive at eter- 
nal blessedness, 

Who dost promise eternal life to those 
who make thee known and loved by others, 

Great sovereign of heaven and earth, 



Devotion to St. Joseph. 553 



5, ©evotion to St. 3osepf\ 

Visits to St. Joseph for every day of the month, page 341. 

* £{K Arbeit Sorrotos atttr tge Arbeit Sous* 

URE husband of most holy Mary, glorious St. 
Joseph, great was the travail and anguish of 

thy heart when, in sore perplexity, thou wast 

minded to put away thy stainless spouse ; but un- 
speakable was thy joy when the angel revealed to 
thee the high mystery of the Incarnation. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, we pray thee, com- 
fort our souls now and in their dying agony with the 
sweet consolation of a well-spent life, and a death 
like unto thine own, in the embrace of Jesus and 
of Mary. 

"Our Father," "Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

II. Thrice happy patriarch, glorious St. Joseph, 
chosen to be the foster-father of the Word made 
man, keen was the pain thou didst feel when thou 
didst see the infant Jesus born in abject poverty; 
but thy pain was suddenly changed into heavenly 
joy when upon thee burst the harmony of the angel- 
choirs, and thou didst behold the glory of that re- 
fulgent night. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, we pray thee, 
obtain for us that, when the journey of our life is 
over, we too may pass to that blessed land where 
we shall hear the angel-chants, and enjoy the 
brightness of celestial glory. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

III. O thou who wast ever most obedient in ful- 
filling the law of God, glorious St. Joseph ! when, at 
His circumcision, the infant Saviour's precious blood 
was shed, thy heart was pierced through and 



554 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



through ; but with the name of Jesus came again to 
thee new life and heavenly joy. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, obtain for us 
that, freed in life from the vile yoke of sin, we too 
may die with joy, with the sweet name of Jesus in 
our hearts and on our lips. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

IV. Faithful saint, who wast admitted to take 
part in man's redemption, glorious St. Joseph, Sime- 
on's prophecy of the coming woes of Jesus and of 
Mary filled thy soul with agony like death : but thy 
soul was filled with blessedness when he foretold 
salvation and glorious resurrection to innumerable 
souls. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, help us with thy 
prayers to be of those who, by the merits of Jesus 
and His Virgin Mother, shall be partakers of the 
glorious resurrection. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

V. Watchful guardian, bosom-friend of the incar- 
nate Son of God, glorious St. Joseph, how didst 
thou toil to nurture and to serve the Son of the 
Most High, especially in the flight into Egypt; but 
far greater was thy joy in having with thee God 
Himself, and in seeing Egypt's idols fall to the 
earth ! 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, obtain for us to 
keep aloof from the infernal tyrant, quitting all 
dangerous occasions, that all earthly idols may be 
cast out from our hearts, and that, employed in the 
service of Jesus and Mary, we may ever live for them 
alone, and with them calmly die. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

VI. Angel on earth, glorious St. Joseph, while 
thou didst marvel at seeing the King of heaven 
obedient to thy bidding, fear of the tyrant mingled 
with thy joy when thou didst bring him back from 
Egypt: but, reassured by the angel, thou didst dwell 



Devotion to St. Joseph. 



555 



at Nazareth with glad heart, in the sweet company 
of Jesus and Mary. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, obtain for us that, 
with heart set free from every hurtful fear, we, too, 
may taste the quiet of a tranquil conscience, safely 
dwelling with Jesus and with Mary, and one day die 
within their loving arms. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

VII. Pattern of all holiness, glorious St. Joseph, 
without fault of thine, thou didst lose the holy Child, 
Jesus, and for three days, to thy great sorrow, didst 
seek for Him, until, with joy unspeakable, thou 
didst find thy Life amid the doctors in the temple. 

By this thy sorrow and thy joy, we pray thee with 
all our heart, stand between us and danger, that we 
may never lose Jesus by mortal sin; but if, to our 
shame and disgrace, we lose Him, may we seek Him 
with such ceaseless grief that we may find him pro- 
pitious to us, especially at the hour of our death, and 
thus go to enjoy Him in heaven, and there with thee 
sing His divine mercy forever! 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

Ant. Jesus was about thirty years old, being, as 
was supposed, the son of Joseph. 

V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph. 

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us Pray. 

God, Who in Thine ineffable Providence didst 
vouchsafe to choose blessed Joseph to be the hus- 
band of Thy most holy Mother : grant, we beseech 
Thee, that we may be made worthy to receive him 
for our intercessor in heaven, whom on earth we 
venerate as our holy protector. Who livest and 
reignest world without end. Amen. 1 



1 Indulgences: 100 days each time. 300 days on Wednesdays. 300 
days on each day of the two Novenas before his Feast and his 



556 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 




Recite the preceding- exercise. 

* litany of St. Sosepf). 

ORD have mercy on us, etc. 

Holy Mary, spouse of St. Joseph, pray for us. 
St. Joseph, son of David, pray for us. 
Model and honor of husbands, 
To whom was given the title of Father 
of Jesus Christ, 

Nursing father of the Infant Jesus, 
Honored with the continual presence of 
the Incarnate Word, 

Spouse of the Virgin Mary, 
Head of the Holy Family, 
Imitator of Jesus and Mary, 
Filled with the gifts of the Holy Ghost, 
Emulator of the purity of angels, 
Model of humility and patience, 
Perfect model of the interior life, 
Chosen minister of God's will, 
Who didst bear in thine arms the Son of 
the Eternal, 

Who wast the guardian of the purest of 
virgins, 

Who didst share Jesus Christ's exile in 
Egypt, 

Who hadst the joy of finding Jesus in 
the Temple, 

To whom the King of Glory and the 
Queen of heaven were subject, 

Who wast admitted to the contempla- 
tion of the depths of divine wisdom, 

Who didst have the happiness of expir- 
ing in the arms of Jesus and Mary, 

Patronage. Plenary, with the usual conditions, on those two Feasts. 
Plenary once a month for daily recital. Plenary for each Sunday, 
when recited any seven Sundays running. Applicable to the dead. 
(Dec. 9, 1819— Feb. 1, 1847.) 



Devotion to St. Joseph. 



557 



Who didst obtain special graces from 
the Most High, 

Powerful Pillar of the Church of Jesus 
Christ, 

Patron of all those who call on thee, 
^ [ Our Protector in life and in death, 
Lamb of God, etc. 
V. Pray for us, blessed Joseph. 
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us Pray. 

E beg of Thee, Lord Jesus, that, by the merits of 
the most chaste spouse of thy most holy 
Mother, Thou wouldst grant us what we can- 



not obtain of ourselves, Thou Who, being God, livest 
with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, 
world without end. Amen. 

jBra»cr to «St« Joscpf) to otitaut tfje (Stft of 
Jitirtti?. 

{Called the Efficacious Prayer.) 
UARDIAN of virgins, and holy father St. Joseph, 
to whose faithful custody Christ Jesus, inno- 
cence itself, and Mary, Virgin of 'virgins, 
were committed, I pray and beseech thee, by these 
dear pledges Jesus and Mary, that, being preserved 
from all uncleanness, I may with spotless mind, pure 
heart, and chaste body, ever most chastely serve 
Jesus and Mary all the days of my life. Amen. 1 

Xobcna to <St< Soscpg* 

Recite the "Hail Mary" nine times, and then the following 
prayer: 

Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, my sweet protector St. Joseph ! 
that no one ever had recourse to thy pro- 

* 100 days, once a day. (Feb. 4, 1877.) 



558 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

tection or implored thy aid without obtaining relief. 
Confiding therefore in thy goodness, I come before 
thee, and humbly supplicate thee. Oh, despise not 
my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but gra- 
ciously receive them. Amen. 1 



*"&be" Joseph 

Hail, Joseph, son of David, spouse of the Blessed 
Virgin Mary, from whom was born Jesus. 
St. Joseph, nursing father of Jesus, pray for 
us, sinners, now and at the hour of our death. 
Amen. 



* $rager to gst. JosrpJ) to obtain tfje €£race of 
^anctiffcattom 

glorious St. Joseph, I pray thee, by the 
father's heart which God gave thee for His 

' Son, and by the filial love which Jesus had 

for thee, to have a special care for the saving of my 
soul. Be thou, thyself, my director, my guide, and 
my model. Make me humble, fill me with the spirit 
of prayer, give me a most generous love for Jesus 
and Mary, so that by imitating thy virtues I may 
arrive at the happiness of the elect. Amen. 



* JPrager fcj? tfje 3Slessetr Element J$arg Jgoflbauer* 

Ot. Joseph, my loving father, I place myself 
forever under thy protection ; look on me as 
thy child, and keep me from all sin. I take 
refuge in thy arms, so that Thou mayest lead me in 
the path of virtue, and assist me at the hour of my 
death. 



1 300 days' indulgence, once a day. (June 26, 1863.) 



Devotion to the Holy Angels. 



559 



a devotion to tbe 1boty Hngefo 



Jirautr to <^t, <#trj)acl tfjc ^rcfjantrcL 

St. Michael is specially entrusted by Our Lord with assisting us at 
the hour of our death. 

KWfiLORious archangel St. Michael., do thou by 
t|§F§] thy protection enable my soul, enriched by 




grace, to become worthy of being presented 
by thy hand to Jesus Christ, my Judge, at the hour 
of my death. O holy archangel, the devil has many 
weapons to employ against me at that last hour ; 
these weapons are my sins by which he will then 
endeavor to throw me into despair; he is also pre- 
paring furious assaults of temptations, to cause me 
then to fall again into sin. Thou who didst conquer 
him, and didst expel him tiom heaven, conquer him 
again, and drive him far away from me at the hour 
of my death. I beseech thee to grant this my prayer, 
for the love of that God Who so much loves thee, 
and Whom thou lovest so much. O Marv, Queen 
of heaven, procure for me the assistance of St*Michael 
at the hour of my death. 

JSracttcrs of 33trt» in ?£onor of <St, iHufjarL 

i. Salute him morning- and evening by the following prayer of 
the Church: 




OLY Michael the Archangel, defend us in the 
battle, that we may not perish in the dread- 
ful judgment ! 



2. Celebrate his Xovena every year 1 by reciting in his honor on 
each of the nine days nine times the " Our Father," " Hail Mary, 1 ' 
and the "Glory be to the Father," etc., and then reciting the prayer 
•* Glorious archangel.'' etc. 

3. Call on him for assistance when we are tempted, and offer him 




1 May 3th or September 29th. 



560 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



every day a special prayer to secure his protection during" life, and 
above all at the moment of death ; for instance by reciting : 



THOU prince most glorious, Michael the Arch- 
angel, remember us ; here and everywhere 
always entreat for us the countenance of the 
Son of God. 

Before the angels will I sing praise unto Thee, O 
my God. I will worship toward Thy holy Temple, 
and praise Thy name. 

Let us Pray. 
God, Who hast ordained and constituted the 
services of angels and men in a wonderful 
order, mercifully grant that, as Thy holy angels 
always do Thee service in heaven, so, by Thy appoint- 
ment, they may succor and defend us on earth. 
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

^ra#er to our ^ngel gkuartrtam 

"God hath given His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all 
thy ways." — Ps. xc 11. 

H, how much do I thank thee, my holy guardian, 
for the lights which thou hast committed to 
me. Oh, that I had always obeyed thee ! 



Do thou continue to enlighten me, rebuke me when 
I fail, and forsake me not unto the last moment of 
my life. 

my holy guardian angel, how many times have 
I by my sins obliged thee to cover thy face ! I ask 
thy forgiveness, and I beseech thee to implore for- 
giveness for me from God, for I am resolved to offend 
neither God nor thee any longer. 

1 thank thee also, O prince of paradise, my good 
angel, who for so many years hast assisted and pro- 
tected me. I have been unmindful of thee, but thou 
hast not forgotten me. Who knows how much 
farther I may have to go before I enter eternity? 
O my good angel, guide me in the way to heaven, 
and cease not to assist me, until thou beholdest me 



Devotion to the Holy Angels. 



5 6i 



become thy eternal companion in the kingdom of 
heaven. Amen. 

* 2Lttan» of tfje gnsel-gatartrtatt* 

|ord, have mercy on us, etc. 
Holy Mary, Queen of angels, 
Holy angel, my guardian, 



Holy ange' 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange' 
Holy ange' 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange' 
Holy ange 
Holy ange' 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 
Holy ange 



my prince, 
my monitor, - 
my counsellor, 
my defender, 
my steward, 
my friend, 
my intercessor, 
my patron, 
my director, 
my ruler, 
my protector, 
my comforter, 
my brother, 
my teacher, 
my shepherd, 
my witness, 
my helper, 
my conductor, 
my preserver, 
my instructor, 
my enlightener, 



s 



Lamb of God, etc. 

Prayer. 

Almighty, everlasting God, Who in the counsel of 
Thy ineffable goodness hast appointed to all the 
faithful, from their mother's womb, a special angel- 
guardian of their body and soul : grant that I may so 
love and honor him whom Thou hast so mercifully 
given me, that, protected by the bounty of Thy grace, 
and by his assistance, 1 may merit to behold, with 
him and all the angelic host, the glory of Thy counte- 



562 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



nance in the heavenly country. Who livest and 
reignest, world without end. Amen. 

ngel of God, my guardian dear, 
To whom His love commits me here, 
Ever this day be at my side, 
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen. 1 




7. Devotion to tbe Saints. 

God, in the great love which He bears us, and in His great desire 
to see us saved, amongst the many means of salvation with which He 
has provided us, has given us in particular that of devotion towards 
the saints. He wills that they, as His friends, should intercede for 
us, and by their merits and prayers obtain graces for us which we do 
not of ourselves deserve. Not, indeed, that the merits of Jesus Christ 
are insufficient to enrich us with every grace, for they are super- 
abundant ; but because He is pleased, on the one hand, to honor His 
faithful servants by making them co-operators in our salvation ; and, 
on the other, to increase our confidence of obtaining the graces which 
we require by bidding us seek them through the medium of the saints. 

* 3Litau% of tije Saints* 

jJORD, have mercy on us, etc. 
Holy Mary, 
Holy Mother of God, 
Holy Virgin of virgins, 
" St. Michael, 
St. Gabriel, 
St. Raphael, 

All ye holy angels and archangels, 
All ye holy orders of blessed spirits, 
St. John Baptist, 

1 100 days' indulgence each time this prayer is said. Plenary, on 
the feast of the holy guardian angels, October 2, to those who shall 
have said this prayer, morning and evening, throughout the year 
(October 2, 1795). Plenary, at the hour of death, to those who during 
life shall have frequently said the prayer (June n, 1796). Plenary, 
once a month, to all who shall have said it every day for a month 
(May 15, 1821). 



Devotion to the Saints. 



St. Joseph, 

All ye holy patriarchs and prophets, 

St. Peter, 

St. Paul, 

St. Andrew, 

St. James, 

St. John, 

St. Thomas, 

St. James, 

St. Philip, 

St. Bartholomew, 

St. Matthew, 

St. Simon, 

St. Thaddeus, 

St. Matthias, 

St. Barnabas, 

St. Luke, 

St. Mark, 

All ye holy apostles and evangelists, 
All ye holy disciples of Our Lord, 
All ye holy innocents, 
St. Stephen, 
St. Lawrence, 
St. Vincent, 

SS. Fabian and Sebastian, 

SS. John and Paul, 

SS. Cosmas and Damian, 

SS. Gervase and Protase, 

All ye holy martyrs, 

St. Sylvester, 

St. Gregory, 

St. Ambrose, 

St. Augustine, 

St. Jerome, 

St. Martin, 

St. Nicholas, 

All ye holy bishops and confessors, 
All ye holy doctors, 



564 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year* 



St. Antony, 
St. Benedict, 
St. Bernard, 
St. Dominic, 
St. Francis, 

All ye holy priests and levites/ 

All ye holy monks and hermits, 

St. Mary Magdalen, 

St. Agatha, 

St. Lucy, 

St. Agnes, 

St. Cecily, 

St. Catherine, 

St. Anastasia, 

All ye holy virgins and widows, 

All ye holy men and women, saints of God, 

Make intercession for us. 

Be merciful, 

Spare us, O Lord. 

Be merciful, 

Graciously hear us, Lord, 
From all evil, 
From all sin, 
From Thy wrath, 

From sudden and unlooked-for death, 

From the snares of the devil, 

From anger and hatred, and every evil will, 

From the spirit of fornication, 

From pestilence, famine, and war, 

From lightning and tempest, 

From dangerous earthquakes, 

From everlasting death, 

Through the mystery of Thy holy Incarnation, 

Through Thy coming, 

Through Thy nativity, 

Through Thy baptism and holy fasting, 

Through Thy cross and passion, 

Through Thy death and burial, 



Devotion to the Saints. 



Through Thy holy resurrection. ] 
Through Thine admirable ascension, 
Through the coming of the Holy Ghost the \ 
Paraclete, 

In the day of judgment, J 

We sinners, 

Beseech Thee, hear us. 

That Thou wouldst spare us. 

That Thou wouldst pardon us. 

That Thou wouldst show us indulgence, 

That Thou wouldst bring us to true penance. 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to govern and 
preserve Tby holy Church, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to preserve our 
apostolic prelate, and all orders of the Church 
in holy religion. 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to humble the 
enemies of holy Church, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give peace 
and true concord to Christian kings and princes. 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant peace 
and unity to all Christian people. 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to confirm and \ 
preserve us in Thy holy service, 

That Thou wouldst lift up our minds to heav- 
enly desires. 

That Thou wouldst render eternal blessings 
to all our benefactors, 

That Thou wouldst deliver our souls, and the 
souls of our brethren, relations, and benefactors, 
from eternal damnation, 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to give and 
preserve the fruits of the earth. 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe to grant eternal 
rest to all the faithful departed. 

That Thou wouldst vouchsafe graciously to 
hear us. 

Son of God, 



566 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 
world, etc. 

Christ, hear us. 

Christ, graciously hear us. 

Lord, have mercy. 

Christ, have mercy. 

Lord, have mercy. 

" Our Father" {secretly), 

3Psaittt 69. 

■ God, come to my assistance : O Lord, make 
haste to help me. 

2. Let them be confounded and ashamed 
that seek my soul. 

3. Let them be turned backward and blush for 
shame that desire evils to me. 

4. Let them be presently turned away blushing 
for shame that say to me : Tis well, 'tis well. 

5. Let all that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in 
Thee, and let such as love Thy salvation say always : 
The Lord be magnified. 

6. But I am needy and poor: O God, help me. 

7. Thou art my helper and my deliverer : O Lord, 
make no delay. 

" Glory be," etc. 

V, Save Thy servants. 
R. Who hope in Thee, O my God. 

V. Be unto us, O Lord, a tower of strength. 
R. From the face of the enemy. 

V, Let not the enemy prevail against us. 
R. Nor the son of iniquity approach to hurt us. 

V, O Lord, deal not with us according to our sins.. 
R. Neither requite us according to our iniquities. 

V. Let us pray for our Sovereign Pontiff, N. 
R. The Lord preserve him and give him life, and 
make him blessed upon the earth ; and deliver him 
not up to the will of his enemies. 

V, Let us pray for our benefactors. 



Devotion to the Saints, 



567 



R. Vouchsafe, O Lord, for Thy name's sake, to 
reward with eternal life all those that do us good. 
Amen. 

V. Let us pray for the faithful departed. 
R. Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord : and let 
perpetual light shine upon them. 
V. Let them rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

V. For our absent brethren. 

R. Save Thy servants, who hope in Thee, O my 
God. 

V. Send them help, O Lord, from the sanctuary. 
R. And defend them out of Sion. 

V. O Lord, hear my prayer. 
R. And let my cry come unto Thee. 

Let us Pray. 

O God, Whose property is always to have mercy 
and to spare, receive our humble petition ; that we, 
and all Thy servants who are bound by the chain of 
sins, may, by the compassion of Thy goodness, mer- 
cifully be absolved. 

Graciously hear, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the 
prayers of Thy suppliants, and forgive the sins of 
those who confess to Thee ; that, in Thy bounty, Thou 
mayest grant us both pardon and peace. 

Show forth upon us, O Lord, in Thy mercy, Thy 
unspeakable loving-kindness; that Thou mayest 
both loose us from all our sins, and deliver us from 
the punishments which we deserve for them. 

O God, Who by sin art offended, and by penance 
pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people 
making supplication to Thee, and turn away the 
scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our 
sins. 

Almighty, everlasting God, have mercy upon Thy 
servant N., our Sovereign Pontiff, and direct him, ac- 
cording to Thy clemency, into the way of everlasting 



568 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

salvation ; that by Thy grace he may both desire 
those things that are pleasing to Thee, and perform 
them with all his strength. 

O God, from Whom all holy desires, all right coun- 
sels, and all just works do proceed, give unto Thy 
servants that peace which the world cannot give; 
that, both our hearts being devoted to the keeping of 
Thy commandments, and the fear of our enemies 
being taken away from us, we may pass our time, by 
Thy protection, peacefully. 

Inflame, O Lord, our reins and heart with the 
fire of the Holy Ghost ; that we may serve Thee with 
a chaste body, and please Thee with a clean heart. 

O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faith- 
ful, give to the souls of Thy servants departed the 
remission of all their sins ; that through pious sup- 
plications they may obtain the pardon which they 
have always desired. 

Prevent, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by 
Thy inspirations, and further them with Thy con- 
tinual help ; that every prayer and work of ours may 
always begin from Thee, and through Thee be like- 
wise ended. 

Almighty, everlasting God, Who hast dominion 
over the living and the dead, and art merciful to all 
who Thou foreknowest will be Thine by faith and 
works : we humbly beseech Thee that they for whom 
we intend to pour forth our prayers, whether this 
pre'sent world still detain them in the flesh, or the 
world to come hath already received them stripped 
of their mortal bodies, may, by the grace of Thy 
loving kindness, and by the intercession of all the 
saints, obtain the remission of all their sins. Through 
Thy Son, etc. 

V. May the Almighty and merciful Lord graciously 
hear us. 

R. Amen. 



Devotion to the Saints. 



569 



V. And may the souls of the faithful, through the 
mercy of God, rest in peace. 
R. Amen. 

J3ran?rr to t{)c J^olo 3]iostle& 

Ioly choir of apostles, and thou especially, St. 

N , we venture to ask by Him who 

hath chosen you, that you will vouchsafe to. 
pray for us. We beseech ye to cure our languishing 
souls, to increase in us all virtue, and to deliver us 
from all evil. O holy apostles, by your glorious 
martyrdom, obtain us the grace of dying in the love 
of God. Amen. 

drawer to tyt ffioli? ^artrus, 

St. N , and ye also, ye princes of para- 
dise, who, having sacrificed to God all 
that ye possessed on earth, your possessions, 
your honors, your life, have now the happiness of 
reigning in heaven, filled with joy and glory, forever 
assured of the crown merited by your sufferings, 
have compassion on us, poor wanderers, sighing in 
this valley of tears, uncertain of our eternal destiny: 
obtain for us, from that God for Whose sake ye 
suffered such torments, and Who now loves you with 
such tender love, and keeps you so near to Himself — 
obtain for us, we pray ye, a great love of God, a love 
which will give us strength resignedly to bear the 
evils of this life, to overcome all the temptations of 
our foes, and thus to persevere until death, so that 
we also may, one day, praise and bless with you that 
infinite Good which ye already possess, love, and 
behold face to face. Amen. 

draper to tfje l^oiw Confessors* 

jlLORious St. N , and ye, ye happy con- 
fessors, I rejoice with you, now that I be- 
hold you in heaven, where you are loving 



570 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



your God with a love that fully contents your hearts, 
which hearts so much desired to love Him upon 
earth. But since, in heaven, the desire of seeing 
God loved has strengthened with your own love of 
Him, assist, O great saints! this miserable soul of 
mine, that desires to burn, like yourselves, with holy 
love for that Infinite Goodness that deserves the 
love of an infinity of hearts. Ask of Jesus that He 
would inspire me with the resolution of consecrating 
my whole will, once for all, to Him, and of studying 
in everything that only which is most pleasing in 
His sight, and which may best promote His glory. 
Amen; 

Stager to tijt Vixqux Saints* 

glorious St ., and all ye blessed vir- 
gins who, by your purity and your ardent 
love, were upon earth the delight of your God, 



pray for me, who, alas ! am not the object of His 
delight, but who am the cause of His sufferings 
through my evil life. Pray to Him to pardon me, 
to give me a new heart, a heart pure and full of love, 
like unto yours. Amen. 

Jpragtr to tf)e ?^ol2 emtrotos* 

Jreat holy St. N , and all ye holy 

widows, I rejoice with you that you have 
J reached the haven and the termination of 
your exile ; there you behold the beauty of God ; 
you are possessed of the Sovereign Good ; you are 
now rejoicing in the clear vision of that God Whom 
you so long desired and loved here below. There 
your love is satiated ; there is nothing for your lov- 
ing hearts to long for more. O great saints ! have 
compassion on me, who am still in the midst of the 
storm ; pray for me that I may obtain salvation, and 
that I may go to join you in loving that God Whom 
you so greatly desire to see beloved. Amen. 



Devotion to the Saints. 



571 



* 33 rarer to <St Soacfjtm* 

God, Who from amongst Thy elect didst choose 
St. Joachim to be the father of Thy well-be- 
loved Son's Mother, we pray Thee that, 
whilst we celebrate his memory on earth, we may 
experience the effects of his constant protection in 
heaven. Through the same Jesus Christ Our Lord. 
Amen. 

*jpra»er to <St* ^tme, 

God, Who didst deign to grant to St. Anne the 
grace of becoming mother of her who gave 
birth to Thine only Son, grant, in Thy good- 
ness, that we may revere her memory, and may also 
obtain the powerful aid of her protection. Through 
Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. 

* Eraser to St. ^mre to ofctatu some Special 
jFabor> 

|lorious St. Anne, filled with compassion for 
those who invoke thee, and with love for 
those who suffer, heavily laden with the 
weight of my troubles, I cast myself at thy feet, and 
humbly beg of thee to take the present affair which 
I recommend to thee under thy special protection. 
Vouchsafe to recommend it to thy Daughter, the 
Blessed Virgin Mary, and to lay it before the throne 
of Jesus, so that He may bring it to a happy issue. 
Cease not to intercede for me until my request is 
granted. Above all, obtain for me the grace of one 
day beholding my God face to face and with thee 
and Mary and all the, saints, praising and blessing 
Him to all eternity. Amen. 

drawer to St* ffvmtis tre Sales* 

great Saint, who wast so careful to expel 
from thy heart every affection which was not 
directed towards God that thou didst say, 



572 Devotions for Different Seasons of the- Year. 



" If I knew that there existed in my heart a single 
fibre of affection that is not from God and directed 
towards God, I would immediately pluck it out :" I 
pray thee, holy saint, since thou art now in heaven 
loving Jesus face to face, obtain for me the grace to 
love Him as thou didst love Him in thy lifetime. 
Amen. 

Uttani) of <St, ^itne, 

jjORD, have mercy on us, etc. 

St. Anne, Grandmother of Our Saviour, 
St. Anne, Mother of Mary, the divine 
Virgin and Mother, 
St. Anne, Ark of Noe, 
St. Anne, Ark of the Covenant, 
St. Anne, Root of Jesse, 
St. Anne, Fruitful Vine, 
St. Anne, Issue of a royal race, 
St. Anne, Joy of angels, 
St. Anne, Daughter of the patriarchs, 
St. Anne, filled with grace, 
St. Anne, Mirror of obedience, 
St. Anne, Mirror of patience, 
St. Anne, Mirror of mercy, 
St. Anne, Mirror of piety, 
St. Anne, Bulwark of the Church, 
St. Anne, Liberator of captives, 
St. Anne, Refuge of sinners, 
St. Anne, Consoler of the married, 
St. Anne, Mother of widows, 
St. Anne, Mother of virgins, 
St. Anne, Mother of the sick, 
St. Anne, Harbor of salvation, 
St. Anne, Light of the blind, 
St. Anne, Tongue of the dumb, 
St. Anne, Hearing of the deaf, 
St. Anne, Consolation of the afflicted, 
St. Anne, Help of all who have recourse to 
thee, 



^3 



Devotion to the Saints. 



573 



u Our Father," " Hail Mary." 
V. God has loved St. Anne, 
R. And delighted in her beauty. 

Let us Pray. 

almighty and eternal God, Who didst vouchsafe 
to choose St. Anne to bring into the world the 
Mother of thy only Son : mercifully grant to us, we 
beseech thee, who devoutly honor her memory, 
grace to obtain, through her merits, the blessings of 
eternal life. Who livest and reignest, world without 
end. Amen. 

draper to .St. gtan£« 

ail, glorious St. Anne, be thou blessed amongst 
women, thou who didst have the happiness 

■ ' of bearing in thy womb the most holy and 

immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God. We par- 
ticipate in the joy thou didst feel when thou didst 
give birth to thine august Child, and in the admira- 
tion thou hadst for the virtues of that holy Virgin, 
elected by God to be the Mother of His Son, and in 
the generous sacrifice thou didst make of thy be- 
loved Child, by presenting her in the temple of the 
Lord. Great Saint* do thou present us also to thy 
beloved Daughter and to Jesus Christ, her Son, and 
be thou also our advocate and protectress with Jesus 
and Mary. Teach us to model our conduct by that 
of Man*. Like her and like thee, may we live 
humble, retired lives, unknown to the world, but full 
of merit in the eyes of God, and may we remit our 
souls in peace into His hands whilst invoking, with 
confidence, the holy names of Jesus and Mary ! 

1 hope to obtain all the graces by thy mediation, 
if I have found grace in thine eyes. O merciful St. 
Anne, mother of the Immaculate Mar)-. Amen. 



574 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



DEVOTION TO ST. ALPHONSUS DE 
LIGUORI. 

^vavtv to Sbt. ^tyfjottrnts* 

|]reat saint, illustrious Doctor of the Church, 
who on earth didst burn with so ardent a 
love of God, and who now in heaven art 
burning with a still more ardent and consuming fire ; 
thou who didst always desire to see God loved by all 
men, obtain me, I pray thee, a spark of that celestial 
flame, so that it may consume in my soul all attach- 
ment to the world, to creatures, and to myself, and 
may turn all my thoughts, desires, and affections in- 
cessantly, in the time of trial as in that of consola- 
tion, to accomplishing the will of that Sovereign 
Good Who so infinitely merits obedience and love. 
Thou, great saint, canst, if thou wilt, obtain me the 
grace of being inflamed with divine love, even as 
thou wast. Following thine example, may I fre- 
quently make use of the beautiful words : O Jesus, 
O Mary, sweet objects of my love, may I suffer for 
you, may I die for you, may I be all yours and no 
longer mine own. 

* 2Lttatt£ of St. &lpf)omn8. 

j]ORD, have mercy on us, etc. 

Holy Mary, conceived without sin, pray for 
us. 

St. Alphonsus, model of innocence and piety from 
thy very childhood, pray for us. 

Despiser of the riches and vanities of the 
world, 

Always subject to the voice of Divine 
!^ \ Providence, 

Rich in the treasures of Christian pov- 
erty, 

Model of patience in pains and afflictions, 



Devotion to the Saints. 



Model of meekness and of resignation in " 
contradictions, 

Burning with a holy zeal for the salva- 
tion of souls, 

Scourge of heresies, 
Defender of the Catholic faith, 
Always occupied in evangelizing the poor, 
Tender comforter of the afflicted, 
Instructed in the divine art of convert- 
ing sinners, 

Enlightened guide in the path of per- 
fection, 

Who became all things to all men, to 
gain all to Jesus Christ, 

New ornament of religion, 

Full of solicitude to procure the com- 
mon good of the Church, 

Glory of the Priesthood and of the Epis- 
copate, I 

Shining mirror of all virtues, 

Full of tenderest love for the Infant Je- 
sus, 

Inflamed with divine love in offering the 
holy Sacrifice, 

Fervent worshipper of Jesus Christ in 
the holy Eucharist, 

Penetrated with lively grief at the med- 
itation of the sufferings of our divine 
Saviour, 

Specially devoted to the worship of 
Mary, 

Honored by the apparition of the Blessed 
Virgin, while preaching in her honor, 
Of angelic life and purity, 
' True patriarch in your paternal solicitude 
for the people of God, 

Endowed with the gift of prophecy and 
u miracles, ) 



576 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



«"5 

to 

Si 



Apostle by the extent and fruit of your 
labors, 

Martyr through your unheard-of austeri- 
ties, 

Confessor by your writings full of the 
Spirit of God, 

Virgin by purity of body and soul, 
Founder of the Order of the Most Holy 
Redeemer, 

Model of missionaries, 
Most zealous Doctor of the holy Roman 
Catholic Church, 

Our tender father and powerful protec- 
tor, 

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the 
world, etc. 

Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 
V. Pray for us, St. Alphonsus. 
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises 
of Christ. 

Let us Pray. 

God, Who, by means of the Blessed Alphon- 
sus Mary, Thy Confessor and Pontiff, in- 
flamed with zeal for souls, hast given true 
children to Thy Church, grant, we beseech Thee, 
that, taught by his salutary lessons and strengthened 
by his example, we may happily arrive with Thee. 
Through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen. 

* 3Pra»ers to &lpt)on$m to ofctaw tjje traces 
nmssarg for Salbattou* 

most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Al- 
phonsus, obtain for me a lively faith in all 
the truths that the holy Catholic Church 



teaches; together with light to know the vanity of 
all earthly things, and the hideousness of my sins. 
" Glory be," etc. 



Devotion to the Saints. 



577 



2. O most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Al- 
phonsus, obtain for me the firm hope of receiving 
from God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, and 
the intercession of Mary and your prayers, the par- 
don of my sins, final perseverance, and paradise. 
" Glory be," etc. 

3. O most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Al- 
phonsus, obtain for me an ardent love of God that 
will detach me from all created things and from my- 
self, to love Him alone and consume myself for His 
glory. " Glory be," etc. 

4. O most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Al- 
phonsus, obtain for me perfect resignation to the holy 
Will of God, that I may accept in peace sufferings, 
persecutions, contempt, loss of goods and reputation, 
the loss of my relations, and finally death itself. 
" Glory be," etc. 

5. O most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Al- 
phonsus, obtain for me a heartfelt sorrow for my sins, 
that I may never cease to weep over the displeasure 
I have given my God. " Glory be." etc. 

6. O most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Al- 
phonsus, obtain for me a practical love towards my 
neighbor that will make me do good even to those 
who have offended me. " Glory be," etc. 

7. O most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Alphon- 
sus, obtain for me the holy virtue of purity, and the 
help required to resist impure temptations, by invok- 
ing the holy names of Jesus and Mary. " Glory," etc. 

8. O most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Al- 
phonsus, obtain for me a tender devotion to the Pas- 
sion of Jesus Christ, to the Most Blessed Sacrament, 
and to my dear Mother Mary. " Glory be," etc. 

9. O most zealous Doctor of the Church, St. Al- 
phonsus, obtain for me above all the grace of final 
perseverance, and the grace always to pray for it, 
especially in the time of temptation and in the hour 
pf my death. 44 Glory be." etc, 



578 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



DEVOTION TO ST. TERESA. 

Stager to SsL Teresa. 

MY seraphic St. Teresa, now that thou art re- 
joicing in thy God, Whom thou didst love so 
much during Thy lifetime, have compassion 
on us here below, exposed to so many dangers of 
losing Him. Obtain for us, by thy prayers, the grace 
of loving our God, with thee, in paradise for ever- 
more. Amen. 

& Utttle <&f)upltt in Monov of St. Etxcxu. 

most amiable Lord, Jesus Christ ! we thank 
Thee for the great gift of faith and of devo- 
tion to the Hoiy Sacrament, that Thou didst 



grant to Thy beloved Teresa. We pray Thee, by 
Thy merits, and by those of Thy faithful spouse, to 
grant us the gift of a lively faith and of a fervent 
devotion toward the Most Holy Sacrament of the 
Altar where Thou, O Infinite Majesty ! hast obliged 
Thyself to abide with us even to the end of the 
world, and wherein Thou didst so lovingly give Thy 
whole self to us. 

" Our Father," "Hail Mary," "Glory be," etc. 

O most merciful Lord, Jesus Christ ! we thank 
Thee for the great gift of hope that Thou didst grant 
to Thy beloved Teresa. We pray Thee, by Thy 
merits, and by those of Thy. holy spouse, to give us 
a great confidence in Thy goodness, by reason of 
Thy precious Blood, that Thou hast shed to its last 
drop for our salvation. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

O most loving Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank 
Thee for the great gift of love that Thou didst grant 
to Thy beloved Teresa. We pray Thee, by Thy 
merits, and by those of Thy most loving spouse, to 
give us the great, the crowning gift of Thy perfect, 
love, 



Devotion to the Saints. 



579 



" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

O most sweet Lord, Jesus Christ, we thank Thee 
for the gift of great desire and resolution that Thou 
didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa, that she might 
love Thee perfectly. We pray Thee, by Thy merits 
and by those of Thy most generous spouse, to give 
us a true desire, and a true resolution of pleasing 
Thee to the utmost of our power. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

O most kind Lord, Jesus Christ, we thank Thee 
for the great gift of humility that thou didst grant 
to Thy beloved Teresa. We pray Thee, by Thy 
merits, and by those of Thy most humble spouse, to 
grant us the grace of a true humility, which may 
make us ever find our joy in humiliations, and prefer 
contempt to every honor. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

O most bountiful Lord, Jesus Christ ! we thank 
Thee for the gift of devotion towards Thy sweet 
Mother, Mary, and her holy spouse, Joseph, that 
Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa. We pray 
Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most dear 
spouse, to give us the grace of a special and tender 
devotion towards Thy most holy Mother, Mary, and 
towards Thy beloved foster-father, Joseph. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

O most loving Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank 
Thee for the wonderful gift of the wound in the 
heart that Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa. 
We pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy 
seraphic spouse, to grant us also a like wound of 
love, that henceforth we may love Thee, and give 
our mind to the love of nothing but Thee. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

O most beloved Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank 
Thee for the eminent gift of the desire for death 
that Thou didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa. We 
pray Thee, by Thy merits, and by those of Thy most 



580 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



constant spouse, to grant us the grace of desiring 
death, in order to go and possess Thee eternally in 
the country of the blessed. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 

Lastly, O dearest Lord, Jesus Christ! we thank 
Thee for the gift of the precious death that Thou 
didst grant to Thy beloved Teresa, making her 
sweetly to die of love. We pray Thee, by Thy mer- 
its, and by those of Thy most affectionate spouse, to 
grant us a good death ; and that if we do not die of 
love, we may, at least, die burning with love for 
Thee, that so dying, we may be able to go and love 
Thee for evermore with a more perfect love in 
heaven. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," " Glory be," etc. 
V. St. Teresa, pray for us. 

R. That we may become worthy of the promises 
of Jesus Christ. 

Let us Pray. 

pplS^RACiOUSLY hear us, O God of our salvation, and 
kfipi g rant that as we d° rejoice for the Feast-Day 
of Thy blessed handmaiden Teresa, so we may 
feed to our ghostly health upon her heavenly teach- 
ing, and better ourselves by the example of her godly 
conversation. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 



Devotio)i to the Souls in Purgatory. 



S. Devotion to tbe Souls in 
puroaton>. 



Let us remember that in that place of suffering there are probably 
souls that have a special right to our prayers, such as those of our 
parents, brothers and sisters, and other relations and friends. Let 
us. moreover, remember that these holy queens, being in the condition 
of debtors for their sins, cannot assist themselves. This thought 
should impel us to relieve them according to the best of our ability. 
And by assisting them we shall not only give great pleasure to God, 
but shall also acquire great merit for ourselves. And in return tor 
our suffrages, these blessed souls will not neglect to obtain for us 
many graces from God, but particularly the grace of eternal life. 



For the Holy Souls, through the pains which He suffered during 
His Passion. 

B|5g|] MOST sweet Jesus, through the bloody sweat 



which Thou didst suffer in the Garden of 



""3 1 Gethsemani, have mercy on these blessed 
souls. 

R. Have mercy on them, O Lord, have mercy on 
them. 

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou 
didst suffer during Thy most cruel scourging, have 
mercy on them. 

R. Have mercy on them, etc. 

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou 
didst suffer in Thy most painful crowning with thorns, 
have mercy on them. 

R. Have mercy on them, etc. 

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou 



jaraucrs to 3ttmt> (tijvist. 




1 Every year make a Xovena for the souls in purgatory. Every day: 
i. Recite the above prayr ; 2. Meditate on one of the following 
points ; 3. Lastly, recite the prayer, page 5S7. 



582 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 



didst suffer in carrying Thy cross to Calvary, have 
mercy on them. 

R. Have mercy on them, etc. 

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou 
didst .suffer during Thy most cruel crucifixion, have 
mercy on them. 

R. Have mercy on them, etc. 

O most sweet Jesus, through the pains which Thou 
didst suffer in Thy most bitter agony on the cross, 
have mercy on them. 

R. Have mercy on them, etc. 

O most sweet Jesus, through that immense pain 
which Thou didst suffer in breathing forth Thy 
blessed soul, have mercy on them. 

R. Have mercy on them, etc. 

Hobnta for tfje Souls tit 3Pursator^» 
I. 

■ ani fold are the pains that these blessed souls 
suffer ; but the greatest arises from the re- 
flection that by their sins they themselves 
have been the cause of the torments which they en- 
dure. 

O Jesus,, my Saviour ! I have so often merited hell : 
if I were now among the damned, how great would 
be the pain that I should feel in thinking that I was 
the cause of my own damnation ! I thank Thee for 
the patience with which Thou hast borne me. My 
God, because Thou art Infinite Goodness, I love Thee 
above all things, and I am sorry from my heart for 
having offended Thee. I promise Thee rather to 
die than ever offend Thee more. Have pity on me, 
and have pity also on those blessed souls that burn 
in that fire. Mary, Mother of God, succor them by 
thy powerful prayers. 

Let us here say one " Our Father" and one " Hail Mary" for these 
souls. 



Devotion to the Souls in Purgatory. 



583 



II. 



Inother pain that greatly torments these blessed 



souls arises from the remembrance of the 



|HHg time which they lost, and in which they could 
have merited so much glory in paradise, and from 
the conviction that this loss is now irreparable. For, 
after death, the time of merit is at an end. 

Ah, unhappy me, who have lived so long, and have 
acquired merits only for hell ! I thank Thee, O 
Lord ! for having given me time to repair the evil 
that I have done. I am sorry for having offended 
so good a God. Help me to spend the remainder of 
my life in loving and serving Thee. Have pity on 
me, and have pity also on those holy souls that burn 
in that fire. O Mary, Mother of God, succor them 
by thy powerful prayers. 

"Our Father," " Hail Mary," etc. 



nother pain that tortures these blessed souls 



is the frightful appearance of the sins for 



which they are suffering. In this life the 
deformity of sin is not understood, but in the next it 
is fully comprehended. This is one of the severest 
torments of the souls in purgatory. 

O my God ! because Thou art Infinite Goodness 
I love Thee above all things, and I am sorry from 
the bottom of my heart for having offended Thee ; I 
promise Thee to die rather than ever offend Thee 
more. Give me holy perseverance ; have pity on me, 
and have pity also on those holy souls who burn in 
that fire. O Mother of God, assist them by thy 
powerful prayers. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," etc. 




III. 




5 84 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year, 



IV. 



|Ea l ea]HE pain that still more afflicts these holy souls, 
H H e s P ouses °f J esus > is the thought of having 
v^sa\ during life displeased by their sins that God 
Whom they so ardently love. Some penitents have 
felt so much pain and sorrow in thinking of having, 
by their sins, offended so good a God, that they died 
of grief. The souls in purgatory understand far 
better than we do the claims that God has to our 
love : they love Him with all their strength. Hence 
at the thought of having offended Him during life 
they experience pain that surpasses all other pain. 

O my God ! because Thou art Infinite Goodness, I 
am sorry, with my whole heart, for having offended 
Thee. I promise to die rather than ever offend Thee 
more. Give me holy perseverance : have pity on 
me, and have pity on all those holy souls that burn 
in that fire, and love Thee with all their hearts. O 
Mary, Mother of God, assist them by thy powerful 
prayers. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," etc. 



nother great torment of these blessed souls 



arises from not knowing when their pains shall 



I eSss cease, or how long they shall remain in that 
fire. They feel certain that they shall be one day 
liberated; but the uncertainty of the duration of 
their sufferings torments them severely. 

Unhappy me! O Lord ! if Thou hadst sent me to 
hell I should be certain of never leaving that prison 
of torture. I love Thee above all things, O Infinite 
Goodness, and I am sorry, with my whole heart, for 
having offended Thee. Give me holy perseverance ; 
have pity on me, and have pity also on those holy 
souls that burn in that fire. O Mary, Mother of God, 
assist them by thy powerful prayers. 
" Our Father," " Hail Mary," etc. 



V. 




Devotion to the Souls in Purgatory. 585 



VI. 



KpgyHESE blessed souls are indeed consoled by the 
IS remembrance of the Passion of Jesus Christ, 
BSI and of the Holy Sacrament of the Altar, be- 
cause through the Communions of the faithful, and 
the Masses celebrated throughout the Church, they 
have received and receive so many graces. But 
they are tormented by the thought of having been 
ungrateful during life for these two great benefits of 
the love of Jesus Christ. 

O my God ! Thou hast died also for me, and hast 
given Thyself so often to me in the holy Communion. 
And I have always repaid Thee with ingratitude ! 
But now I love Thee above all things, O my Sovereign 
Good, and I am sorry, with my whole heart, for hav- 
ing offended Thee. I promise to die rather than 
ever offend Thee more. Give me holy perseverance; 
have pity on me, and have pity also on all those holy 
souls that burn in that fire. O Mary, Mother of God, 
assist them by thy powerful prayers. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mar}'," etc. 



he piins of these blessed souls are increased 



by all the particular favors that they received 



eL&sI from God, such as to have been made Chris- 
tians, to have been born in a Catholic country, to 
have been allowed time for repentance, and to have 
obtained the pardon of their sins. All these favors 
make them feel more sensibly their past ingratitude 
to God. 

But who, O Lord ! is more ungrateful than I have 
been? Thou hast waited for me with so much 
patience, Thou hast often pardoned me with so much 
love, and I. after so many promises, have again of- 
fended Thee! Ah, do not send me to hell. I am 
sorry, O Infinite Goodness, for having offended Thee : 



VII. 




586 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

I promise to die rather than ever offend Thee more. 
Give me holy perseverance. Have mercy on me, and 
have mercy also on those holy souls that burn in that 
fire. O Mary, Mother of God, assist them by thy 
powerful prayers. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," etc. 

VIII. 

p|p!||jNOTHER very severe torment of these blessed 
souls is caused by the thought that, during 
less! life, God showed them so many special mer- 
cies not shown others, and that, after they had by 
their sins compelled Him to hate them, and to con- 
demn them to hell, He through His pure mercy had 
pardoned and saved them. 

Behold, O my God ! I am one of those ungrateful 
souls that, after having received from Thee so great 
favors, have despised Thy love, and have forced Thee 
to condemn me to hell. O Infinite Goodness, I now 
love Thee above all things, and I am sorry with my 
whole heart for having offended Thee. I promise 
Thee to die rather than ever offend*Thee more. Give 
me holy perseverance ; have mercy on me, and have 
mercy also on those holy souls that burn in that fire. 
O Mary, Mother of God, assist them by thy powerful 
prayers. 

" Our Father," " Hail Mary," etc. 

IX. 

reat, indeed, are all the pains of these blessed 
souls : the fire, the tediousness, the darkness, 
the uncertainty of the time of their deliver- 
ance from that prison ; but, of all the pains endured 
by those holy spouses, the greatest is caused by be- 
ing at a distance from their Spouse, and by the pri- 
vation of the sight of Him. 

O my God ! how have I been able to live so many 
years at a distance from Thee and bereft of Thy 




Devotion to the Souls in Purgatory. 587 



grace? O Infinite Goodness ! I love Thee above all 
things, and I am sorry with my whole heart for hav- 
ing offended Thee. Give me holy perseverance, and 
do not permit me ever again to see myself Thy 
enemy. Have mercy, I entreat Thee, on these blessed 
souls ; alleviate their pains, and abridge the time of 
their exile, by calling them soon to love Thee face to 
face in paradise. O Mary, Mother of God, assist 
them by thy powerful prayers : pray also for us, who 
are still in danger of being lost forever. 

"Our Father," " Hail Mary," etc. 

Blessed souls, we have prayed for you ; we entreat 
you, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of 
never losing Him, to pray for us miserable sinners, 
who are in danger of being damned, and of losing 
God forever. 

Let us Pray. 

^God, the author of mercy, the lover of the sal- 
vation of mankind : we address Thy clem- 

1 ency, in behalf of our brethren, relations, and 

benefactors, who„ have departed this life, that by the 
intercession of blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, and of all 
the saints, Thou wouldst receive them into the enjoy- 
ment of eternal happiness, through Christ Our Lord. 
Amen. 

Sfjort Entrulcreucetr gratters applicable to tjje 
Souls til ISursators* 

ternal Father ! I offer Thee the precious 
Blood of Jesus in satisfaction for my sins, 
and for the wants of Holy Church. 

100 days' indulgence \ each time. (September 22, 18 17.) 

2. O sweetest Heart of Jesus, I implore that I may 
ever love Thee more and more. 

300 days' indulgence, each time. Plenary indulgence, once, and 
more, a month, on a day at choice, and on the usual conditions, to all 
who daily recite it. (November 26, 1878.) 

3. Sweet Heart of Mary, be my salvation. 

300 days' 1 indulge?ice, each time. Plenary indulgence, as above. 
(September 30, 1852.) 




$88 Devotions for Different Seasons of the Year. 

4. Jesus, my God, I love Thee above all things. 

50 days' indulgence, each time. (May 7, 1874.) 

5. Jesus, meek and humble of Heart, make my 
heart like unto Thine. 

300 days' indulgence, once a day. (January 25, 1868.) ^ 

6. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved every- 
where. 

100 days' indulgence, once a day. (September 23, i860.) 

7. May the Heart of Jesus in the Most Blessed 
Sacrament be praised, adored, and loved with grate- 
ful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles 
of the world, even to the end of time. Amen. 

100 days' 1 indulgence, once a day. (February 29, 1868.) 

8. Blessed be the holy and Immaculate Conception 
of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. 

300 days' indulgence, each time. (November 21, 1793.) 

9. O Mary, who didst come into this world free 
from stain, obtain of God for me that I may leave it 
without sin. 

100 days' 1 indulgence, once a day. (March 27, 1863.) 

10. St. Joseph, friend of the Sacred Heart, pray 
for us. 

100 days' 1 indulgence, once a day. (June 2, T874 ) 

11. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart 
and my soul. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in 
my last agony. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I 
breathe forth my soul in peace with you. 

300 days' 1 indulgence, each time that all three invocations are re- 
cited ; 100 days, when one only is recited. (April 28, 1807.) 

12. May the most just, most high, and most ami- - 
able will of God be done in all things, be praised 
and magnified forever. 

too days' 1 indulgence, once a day. Plenary indulgence, once a year 
for those who recite it daily, on the usual conditions. Plenary in- 
dulgence, at the moment of death, for those who, having frequently 
recited it during their lives, accept death with resignation from the 
hand of God. (May 19, 1818.) 



Devotion to the Souls in Purgatory. 589 



13. O most compassionate Jesus! Thou alone art 
our Salvation, our Life, and our Resurrection. We 
implore Thee, therefore, do not forsake us in our 
needs and afflictions, but by the agony of Thy most 
Sacred Heart, and by the sorrows of Thy immaculate 
Mother, succor Thy servants whom Thou hast re- 
deemed by Thy most precious Blood. 

100 days* indtdgence, once a day. (October 6, 1870.) 

14. My loving Jesus, I (N. N.) give Thee my heart, 
and I consecrate myself wholly to Thee, out of the 
grateful love I bear Thee, and as a reparation for all 
my unfaithfulness; and with Thy aid I purpose never 
to sin again. 

100 days'* indzilgence, once a day, on saying this prayer devoutly 
and with a contrite heart, before a representation of the Sacred Heart. 
Plenary indulgence, once a month for those who have thus recited it 
daily for a month, on a day at choice, on the usual conditions. (June 
9, 1807.) 

15. O Jesus, living in Mary! come and live in Thy 
servants in the spirit of Thy holiness, in the fulness 
of Thy might, in the truth of Thy virtues, in the 
perfection of Thy ways, in the communion of Thy 
mysteries ; subdue every hostile power in Thy Spirit, 
for the glory of the Father. Amen. 

300 days* indulgence, once a day. (October 14, 1859.) 

16. Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary 
that never was it known that any one who fled to 
thy protection, implored thy help, and sought thy 
intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this 
confidence I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my 
Mother! To thee I come; before thee I stand, sin- 
ful and sorrowful, O Mother of the Word incarnate ! 
Despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and 
answer me. Amen. 

300 days' indulgence. Plenary indulgence, once a month, on the 
usual conditions. (July 25, 1846.) 



590 



Various Prayers. 



FIFTH PART. 
VARIOUS PRAYERS. 

*$ra»nr of a (ftjultr tojo fcotsfjes to mafee a fiooir IFtrst 
(ftommttmon* 

loving Jesus, Who hast said : " Suffer little 
children to come unto Me" (Matt. xix. 14), 
— I ah ! when will that great day arrive when I 
shall be permitted to go to Thee; when will that 
blessed hour arrive when I shall sacramentally re- 
ceive Thy most holy Body, and with It Thy Blood, 
Thy Soul, Thy Divinity ? My beloved Redeemer, I 
desire Thee, because Thou art my only and Sovereign 
Good ; I desire Thee, because Thou art all my love ; 
I desire Thee, because in Thee are all the graces 
of which I stand in need. Come, most merciful 
Saviour, come to a soul which hungers and thirsts 
after Thee ; come, that I may adore Thee within 
me ; come, so that I may press Thee tenderly to my 
heart ; come, so that I may be all Thine and Thou 
mayest be all mine ; come, so that my heart and my 
flesh may thrill with joy in Thee, O living God ; 
come, and I will tell Thee of what my soul is in 
need. I am but a child, and a giddy child, I know ; 
I well know I have a thousand faults ; but I hope 
that thy visit will change all this. Whilst waiting 
for that happy day, I pray Thee Thyself to prepare 
my heart to receive Thee worthily. Make me a 
child according to Thine own divine heart, pure, 
humble, pious, obedient to my parents, respectful to 
my pastor, docile to my teachers, gentle to my equals, 
in all and always an enemy to sin and the occasions 
of sin. Mary, Mother of Jesus, thou art also my 



Various Prayers. 



591 



mother, vouchsafe to prepare my heart for the 
worthy reception of thy dear Son Jesus Christ. 

* Sraget for tfje use of ISuptls or ^cjjoiars, 

|Y sweetest Lord, Jesus Christ, it is Thou Who 
in Thy paternal goodness, didst inspire my 
parents to place me in this house, where I 
can acquire virtue at the same time as human knowl- 
edge ; grant me the grace of living here as a true 
disciple of Thy Sacred Heart. Give me quickness 
of intelligence, facility of memory and of elocution. 
Make me humble in success, resigned in time of 
trial, diligent in working, not easily discouraged at 
the difficulties of my studies. I protest that I only 
desire learning in so far as it may be useful to my 
salvation and to the state of life to which Thou 
callest me. I wish to study with a pure heart, child- 
like simplicity, an inviolable attachment to whatever 
the holy Church teaches. Fill me with true charity 
towards my companions, looking on them all as well- 
beloved brothers in Jesus Christ. May I know how 
to bear with the harsh tempers of some, the disagree- 
able ways of others. Give me the prudence of the 
serpent to flee from those who would lay snares for 
my innocence, and the zeal of an apostle to incite to 
a better life those who are in any way disedifying. 
Lastly, my God, grant that by my respect, my 
docility, my application, and my piety I may ever 
be the joy and hope of my teachers and parents. 
Vouchsafe to bless the sacrifices, the work, the 
fatigues they impose upon themselves for my wel- 
fare. Be Thou Thyself one day their eternal reward, 
and grant that I may be one of the brightest jewels 
in their crown. O Mary, who art the seat of wisdom, 
and my good mother, to thee I offer up my studies ; 
I pray thee to bless them, and to accept the offering 
which I make Thee of all the affection of my heart. 
Amen. 



592 



Various Prayers. 



* 3Pra#er iiefore Stutrs or Eustructtom 



pONCEDE mihi mise- 
ricors Deus, quae 
tibi placitar sunt 
ardenter concupiscere, 
prudenter investigare, 
veraciter agnoscere et 
perfecte implere, ad lau- 
dam et gloriam nominis 
tui. Amen; 3 



J rant me grace, O 
merciful God, to 
I desire ardently all 
that is pleasing to Thee, 
to examine it prudently, 
to acknowledge it truth- 
fully, and to accomplish 
it perfectly, for the praise 
and glory of Thy Name. 
Amen. 

^ragcr to kuoto our Uotutiovc. 

To enter into any state of life, a divine vocation is necessary ; for 
without such a vocation it is, if not impossible, at least most difficult 
to fulfil the obligations of our state, and obtain salvation. 

Y Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst die for my sal- 
vation, I implore Thee, through the merits 
of Thy passion, to give me light and strength 
to choose that state of life which is best for my sal- 
vation. "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth." 
Let me know what Thou wishest from me, and I 
will do all; and let me especially know in what state 
Thou w r ishest me to serve Thee ; " Make Thou 
known to me the way in which I should walk" (Ps. 
cxlii. 8), in order to reach heaven. And thou, my 
loving Mother Mary, obtain this grace for me through 
thy pdwerful intercession. 

* 3Prai?er to f&arg for our Vocation* 

Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, whom St. 
Alphonsus so honored by that title, behold 
me at thy feet to ask of thee the grace of 
knowing my vocation; speak thou distinctly to my 
heart, so that all uncertainty may be at an end. 
Brilliant Morning Star, do thou dissipate my dark- 
ness, preserve me from all dangers and the snares I 

1 300 days' indulgence to all the faithful who recite this prayer of 
St. Thomas before instruction or study. (June 21, 1879.) 



Various Prayers. 



593 



may meet with, point out to me the road leading to 
eternal life, and obtain for me the grace of walking 
therein courageously and perseveringly unto my last 
hour. Do thou accomplish in me those words of 
the Holy Ghost which the Church applies to thee : 
" In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in 
me is all hope of life and of virtue" (Eccles. xxiv. 25). 

* }9rai?rr tojjcn tfjr Toratton is fcmtrrtr. 

When the vocation is decided, no longer say, " Lord, let me know 
what Thou wishest from me," but frequently make use of the follow- 
ing ejaculation : 

ord, since Thou hast vouchsafed to make 
known to me Thy holy will, give me now the 
grace to do it ; " Confirm, O God, what Thou 
hast wrought in us" (Ps. lxvii. 29). 

If there is question of a religious vocation, add: 

ehold me, Lord ; I am no longer mine own, I 
am all Thine : I again give myself entirely to 
Thee. Vouchsafe to accept my offering', by 
giving me the grace of being faithful to Thee and 
sheltering myself in Thy house as soon as possible. 

ISrawrr of a Soul called to tijt iUltgious ^tatc. 

Lord, Thou hast shown me such an excess of 
bounty as to choose me .from among so 
many others, to serve Thee in Thine own 



house with Thy most beloved servants. I know how 
great is that grace, and how unworthy of it I have 
been. Behold, I am willing to correspond to so great 
a love. I will obey Thee. Since Thou hast been so 
liberal towards me as to call me when I did not seek 
Thee, and whilst I was most ungrateful to Thee, per- 
mit me not to fall anew into such an excess of in- 
gratitude as to embrace again my enemy, the world, 
in which heretofore I so often forfeited Thy grace 
and imperilled my salvation. Since Thou hast 
called me, give me also the strength to respond to 



594 



Various Prayers. 



the call. Already have I promised to obey Thee ; 
again I renew my promise, but unless Thou givest 
me the grace of perseverance I cannot be faithful to 
Thee. This perseverance, then, I ask from Thee, 
and through Thy merits I hope to obtain it. Give 
me courage to vanquish the passions of the flesh, by 
means of which the devil seeks to induce me to be- 
tray Thee. I love Thee, O my Jesus ! to Thee I 
consecrate myself entirely. I am already Thine, I 
will be always Thine. O Mary, my Mother, and my 
hope, Thou art the Mother of perseverance. This 
grace is dispensed by thy hands alone; do thou ob- 
tain it for me. In thee do I confide. 

Ip^ralH ! my Master, and my Redeemer, Jesus, I am 
- f| then of the number of those fortunate ones 
j tg^^j w h om Thou hast called to follow thee. O 
my Lord ! I thank Thee for this. I leave all ; and I 
would that I had more to leave, in order to draw 
near to Thee, my King and my God, Who for the 
love of me, and to give me courage by Thy example, 
didst choose for Thyself so poor and so painful a life. 
Lead on, O Lord ; I will follow Thee. Choose Thou 
for me what cross Thou wilt lay on me, and help me 
to bear it. I will always carry it with constancy and 
love. I regret that in the past I have abandoned 
Thee, to follow my own inclinations and the vanities 
of the world ; but now I will leave Thee no more. 
Bind me to Thy cross, and if through weakness I 
sometimes resist, draw me by the sweet bonds of 
Thy love. Suffer not that I should ever leave Thee 
again. Yes, my Jesus, I renounce all the satisfac- 
tions of the world ; my only satisfaction shall be 
to continue to love Thee, and to suffer all that it 
pleases Thee to send me. I hope thus to come my- 
self one day into Thy kingdom, there to be united 
with Thee by the bonds of eternal love, so that, lov- 



Various P ravers. 



595 



ing Thee in Thy revealed glory, I need no more fear 
to be loosed and separated from Thee. I love Thee, 

my God, my All ! and will always love Thee. Be- 
hold my hope, O most holy Mary ! thou who, hav- 
ing on earth been most conformed to Jesus, art now 
in .heaven, all-powerful in obtaining graces. Be thou 
my protectress ! 

Jiraucr for {Priests antr £fjose gsptrtno; to tfjc 
^rtcstijcotr, 

God, it is indeed a great honor to be a 
priest, to be able to make the Incarnate 
Word come down from heaven, to deliver 
souls from sin and from hell, to be a vicar of Jesus 
Christ, to be the light of the world and a mediator 
between God and sinful men, to be greater and more 
noble than all the monarchs of the earth, to have 
higher power than the angels ; in a word, to be a god 
on earth, according to St. Clement's expression. 
Yes, it is indeed a great honor, and it is to this 
honor that Thou vouchsafest to call me, O my God ! 
No greater happiness could be mine ; but, on the 
other hand, no more terrible responsibility : for if 
Jesus Christ, Thy Son, wills to come down into my 
hands, and be my food, how eminently pure should 

1 not make myself ! If I am to be a mediator be- 
tween Thy Majesty and men, how void of sin should 
I not be ! If I am to become the vicar of the Re- 
deemer, how closely should not my life resemble 
His! If I am to be a light of the world, how re- 
splendent should not be my virtues ! I should be- 
come a saint if I am to be worthy of being Thy 
minister. O God of Holiness! Grant me, then, O 
Lord, the necessary dispositions for the sublime state 
of priesthood, by the mortification of my senses, 
the patient endurance of all suffering and persecu- 
tion, the preservation of perfect purity of body, 
the habit of careful study with a view to being 




596 



Various Prayers. 



useful to souls, the constant practice of gentleness 
and charity towards all, a complete retirement from 
the pleasures of the world. In a word, my beloved 
Lord, grant me the grace of being always in perfect 
union with Thee, and grant that, by means of con-, 
stant prayer, my heart may become the altar on which 
the fire of divine love is continually burning; so 
that, after having loved Thee and made Thee to 
be loved on earth, I may have the happiness of eter- 
nally loving Thee in paradise. O Queen of heaven, 
henceforth I wish to do all in my power to make 
thee loved and worshipped by all. Accept this de- 
sire, and give me the means of realizing it. Mean- 
while inscribe me amongst thy servants, and never 
let me become the slave of sin. 

$ra£cr of a Soul in tfje State of Stit* 

hen my soul had the happiness of being in 
Thy grace, it was Thy friend, Thy child, Thy 

-I spouse, and Thy temple ; but by committing 

sin it lost all, and became Thy enemy and the slave 
of hell. But I thank Thee, O my God ! for giving 
me time to recover Thy grace. I am sorry above 
all things for having offended Thee, O Infinite Good- 
ness ! and I love Thee above all things. Ah ! receive 
me again into Thy friendship. For Thy mercy's 
sake do not reject me. I know that I deserve to be 
banished from Thy face ; but, by the sacrifice which 
He offered on Calvary, Jesus Christ has merited for 
me mercy and pardon. "Thy kingdom come." My 
Father (it is thus Thy Son has taught me to call 
Thee), — My Father, come with Thy grace to reign 
in my heart; grant that I may serve Thee alone, 
that I may live for Thee alone, and that I may love 
Thee alone. " And lead us not into temptation." 
Ah ! do not permit my enemies to tempt me so that 
I maybe conquered. "But deliver us from evil." 
Deliver me from hell ; but deliver me first from sin, 



t T arious Prayers. 



597 



which alone can lead me to hell. O Mary ! pray for 
me, and preserve me from the great misfortune of 
ever seeing myself in sin and deprived of the grace 
of thy and my God. 

draper of a Soul euslabeH by iSatr JQairits, 
KtEiM EH0LD me - O m }' God • at Thy feet. I am that 



disgusting animal that has so often eaten 



B =b what I before rejected and detested. I do 
not deserve mercy ; but, O my Redeemer! the Blood 
which Thou hast shed for me encourages and ob- 
liges me to hope for it. How often have I offended 
Thee and Thou hast pardoned me ! I promised 
never more to offend Thee, and I have afterward re- 
turned to the vomit ; and Thou hast again pardoned 
me ! What do I wait for ? Is it that Thou mayest 
send me to hell, or that Thou mayest abandon me 
to my sins, which would be a greater punishment 
than hell? No, my God ! I wish to amend; and in 
order to be faithful to Thee, I will put all my confi- 
dence in Thee. I will, whenever I am tempted, al- 
ways and instantly have recourse to Thee. Hitherto 
I have trusted in my own promises and resolutions, 
and have neglected to recommend myself to Thee in 
my temptations : this has been the cause of my ruin. 
Henceforth Thou shalt be my hope and my strength, 
and thus I shall be able to do all things. " I can do 
a'l things in Him that strengtheneth me" (Phil. xiv. 
13). Give me grace then, O my Jesus ! through Thy 
merits, to recommend myself to Thee, and to ask Thv 
aid in my wants. 1 love Thee. O Sovereign Good ! 
amiable above every good : I wish to love Thee alone ; 
but it is from Thee I must receive aid to love Thee. 
O Mary, my Mother ! do thou also assist me by thy 
intercession ; keep me under thy protection, and make 
me always invoke thee when I am tempted. Thy 
name shall be my defence. 




598 



Various Prayers. 



^euttmeitts of a penitent <SouL 

H ! my Redeemer ! Thou hast spent all Thy 
Blood, and hast given Thy life in order to 



\\Z§m&] save m y sou ] . an( j J have often lost it by 
counting on Thy mercy. I have, then, so often 
abused Thy goodness by offending Thee. By doing 
so, I have deserved to be suddenly struck dead, and 
to be cast into hell. In a word, I have been engaged 
in a contest with Thee. Thou didst treat me with 
mercy, and I offended Thee; Thou didst seek after 
me, and I fled away from Thee ; Thou gavest me 
time to repair the evil I had dor*e, and I employed 
that time in adding insults to insults. Lord, make 
me understand the injustice I have done Thee, and 
the obligation by which I am bound to love Thee. 
Ah ! my Jesus ! how could I be so dear to Thee that 
Thou shouldst seek me so often when I chased Thee 
away ? How hast Thou been able to bestow so 
many graces on one who has given Thee so much 
displeasure ? From all this I see the great ardor of 
Thy desire to save me from perdition. I am sorry 
with my whole heart for having offended Thee, O 
Infinite Goodness! Ah, receive this ungrateful 
sheep, that casts itself sorrowful at Thy feet ; receive 
it, and bind it on Thy shoulders, that it may never 
more fly away from Thee. I will never again aban- 
don Thee. I wish to love Thee ; I wish to be Thine : 
and provided I belong to Thee, I am content to suf- 
fer every pain. And what greater punishment can 
fall upon me than to live without Thy grace, to be 
separated from Thee, Who art my God, Who didst 
create me and die for me ? O accursed sins! what 
have you done ? You have made me displease my 
Saviour, Who has loved me so tenderly. Ah ! my 
Jesus, as Thou didst die for me, so I ought to die 
for Thee. Thou hast died through love for me 
— I should die through sorrow for having de- 
spised Thee. I accept death in whatever manner 




Various Prayers. 



599 



and at whatever time Thou pleasest to send it. 
Hitherto I have not loved Thee, or I have loved 
Thee too little. I do not wish to die in this 
state. Ah, grant me a little more time, that I may 
love Thee before I die. Change my heart ; wound 
it ; inflame it with Thy holy love. ' Through that 
affection of charity which made Thee die for me, 
grant me this favor. I love Thee with my whole 
heart. My soul is enamoured of Thee. Do not per- 
mit me to lose Thee. Give me holy perseverance ; 
give me Thy holy love. Most holy Mary, my refuge 
and my Mother ! perform the office of advocate in 
my behalf. 

iSrai>cr of a ^oul tfjat moulti iUturn to its (Sotr, 
[gtej*j||Y Eternal God. I have dishonored Thee by so 



often preferring my will to Thine, and my 



g «1 vile and miserable pleasures to Thy holy 
grace. What hope of pardon would there be for me, 
it Thou hadst not given me Jesus Christ on purpose 
that He might be the hope of us miserable sin- 
ners ? " He is a propitiation for our sins." Yes ; for 
jesus Christ, in sacrificing His life in satisfaction for 
the injuries we have done Thee, has given Thee 
more honor than we have given Thee dishonor by 
our sins. Receive me, therefore, O my Father! for 
the love of Jesus Christ. I repent, O Infinite Good- 
ness ! of having outraged Thee : " Father, I have 
sinned against heaven, and before Thee : I am not 
worthy to be called Thy son." I am not worthy of 
forgiveness ; but Jesus Christ is worthy to be heard 
favorably by Thee. He prayed once for me on the 
cross, " Father, forgive" (Luke xxiii. 24) ; and even 
now in heaven He is constantly begging Thee to 
receive me as a son : " We have an advocate. Jesus 
Christ, Who ever intercedes for us" (Rom. viii. 34). 
Receive an ungrateful son, who once forsook Thee, but 
now returns, resolved to desire to love Thee. Yes, 




6oo 



Various Prayers. 



my Father, I love Thee, and will always love Thee. O 
my Father, now that I know the love that Thou hast 
boVnetme, and the patience Thou hast shown me for 
so many years, I trust no longer to live without lov- 
ing Thee. Give me a great love that may make me 
constantly lament the displeasure I have given 
Thee, Who art so good a Father; cause me ever to 
burn with love towards Thee, Who art so loving a 
Father. My Father, I love Thee, 1 love Thee, I love 
Thee ! O Mary ! God is my Father, and thou art 
my Mother. Thou canst do all things with God : 
help me; obtain for me holy perseverance and His 
holy love. 

^enttmntts of a Jfymxt toijtcf) in Grateful for 
Soft's ferries* 

[[TCgM my Redeemer and God ! and who am I that 



Thou shouldst have loved me, and still con- 



1 ^"^ ' tinuest to love me, so much ? What hast 
Thou ever received from me that has obliged Thee 
so to love me ? what, except slights and provoca- 
tions, which were a reason for Thee to abandon me, 
and to banish me forever from Thy face? But, O 
Lord ! I accept of every penalty except this. If 
Thou dost forsake me, and deprive me of Thy 
grace, I can never more love Thee. I have no 
hope of escaping punishment; but I wish to love 
Thee, and to love Thee exceedingly. I wish to love 
Thee as a sinner is bound to love Thee, who, after 
so many special favors, and so many marks of love 
received from Thee, has, in spite of all, so frequently 
turned his back upon Thee ; who, for the sake of 
wretched momentary and pernicious gratifications, 
has renounced Thy grace and Thy love. I wish to 
make compensation by my love as much as possible 
for the past ingratitude which I have shown Thee. 
An innocent soul loves Thee as innocent, and thanks 
Thee for having preserved it from the death of sin. 




Various Prayers, 



601 



I must love Thee as a sinner ; that is, as one who 
has rebelled against Thee, as one condemned to 
hell, so often as I deserved it ; and then as often 
graciously received back by Thee and re-established 
in the way of salvation, and over and above enriched 
with lights, with helps, with invitations to become a 
saint. O Redeemer, and Redeemer again and again 
of my soul ! my soul is now enamoured of Thee, and 
loves Thee. Thou hast loved me above measure, so 
that, overcome by Thy love, I could no longer resist 
its winning appeals, and at last I now surrender my- 
self, and fix all my love on Thee. I love Thee, then, 

Infinite Goodness ! I love Thee, O most lovable 
God ! Do Thou never cease to enkindle more and 
more in my heart the flames and fiery darts of love. 
For Thy own glory cause Thyself to be greatly loved 
by one who has greatly offended thee. Mary, my 
Mother, thou art the hope, the refuge of sinners ; 
assist a sinner who desires to prove faithful to his 
God ; help me to love Him, and to love Him exceed- 
ingly. 

Sentiments of a SoiU resolbetr treber again to 
3Leabe its ^ot>. 

jpgrtylH, my God! I do not wish that the devil 
§I&\1 should have any longer dominion over my 
l 1 ™*"! soul : I wish that Thou alone shouldst be 
the Lord and Master of it. I will renounce all 
things in order to acquire Thy grace. I esteem it 
more than a thousand thrones and a thousand king- 
doms. And whom shall I love but Thee, Who art 
infinitely amiable, Who art an infinite Good, infinite 
Beauty, Bounty, and Love? Hitherto I have aban- 
doned Thee for the sake of creatures ; this is, and 
always will be, to me a source of sorrow, which will 
pierce my heart with grief for having offended Thee. 
But since Thou hast favored me with so many graces, 

1 can no longer bear to see myself without Thy love. 



602 



Various Prayers. 



O my Lord ! take possession of my whole will, and 
of all that I possess, and do with me what Thou 
pleasest. If I have hitherto been impatient under 
adversity, I ask pardon. O my Lord ! I will never 
complain of Thy arrangements ; I know that they are 
all holy, all for my welfare. Treat me, my God ! 
as Thou wishest ; I promise to be always content, 
always to thank Thee. Make me love Thee, and I 
ask no more. What goods, what honors, what world 
can I love ? O God ! O God ! I wish only for God. 
Happy thou, O Mary ! who didst love nothing in the 
world but God. Obtain for me the grace to imitate 
thee, at least during the remainder of my life. In 
thee I trust. 

33ra£tr to ^bottr fficlL 

my beloved Jesus and my Judge ! when Thou 
dost judge me, for Thy mercy's sake con- 
demn me not to hell. In hell I cannot love 
Thee, but must hate Thee forever; and how can I 
hate Thee Who art so worthy of love, and Who hast 
loved me so well ? If Thou wilt condemn me to hell, 
at least grant me grace to be able to love Thee there 
with all my heart. This grace I do not deserve, 
through my sins ; but if I do not deserve it, Thou 
hast purchased it for me with the Blood which Thou 
didst shed with such anguish for me upon the cross. 
O my Judge ! inflict on me every pain, but deprive 
me not of the power of loving Thee. O Mother of 
God ! behold the peril in which I stand of being 
condemned to be unable of loving thy Son, Who de- 
serves an infinite love ; help me ; have pity on me. 

3§ra£er to octant $arairtse* 

|h, my crucified Jesus ['discover to me the im- 
mense riches that Thou hast prepared for 
the souls that love Thee. Give me a great 
desire of possessing paradise, so that, forgetting 



Various Prayers. 



603 



this world, I may there make my continual abode ; 
and whilst I live, may I have no other desire than 
that of seeing Thee and loving Thee face to face in 
Thy kingdom. I do not deserve this, and I know 
that at one time my name was written amongst those 
who were condemned to hell ; but now that I am, as 
I hope, in Thy grace, I beseech Thee by that Blood 
which Thou didst shed for me on the cross, write 
me in the Book of Life. Thou hast died to gain 
paradise for me : I wish and I ardently desire to do 
so, and I hope to attain this through Thy merits, so 
that Imay ascend there, and be consumed with Thy 
love, loving Thee with all my strength. There, for- 
getting myself and everything else, I shall think 
only of loving Thee, I shall desire nothing but to 
love Thee, and I shall do nothing but love Thee. 
O my Jesus ! when shall this be? O Mary, Mother 
of God! by thy prayers bring me to paradise. " Turn, 
then, most gracious advocate, thy eyes of mercy 
towards us ; and after this our exile show unto us 
the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." 

<Stgj)s for mtr 3Ueart)?nl» 7%ome. 

hen shall it be, O Lord : that I shall be de- 
livered from all these distresses, and think 
only of loving Thee and praising Thee ? 
When will it be that Thou wilt be all to me in all 
things, as the apostle writes : " That God may be all 
in all"? (1 Cor. xv. 28.) When shall I enjoy that un- 
changing peace, free from all affliction, and from all 
danger of being lost? When, my God, shall I find 
myself dwelling with Thee, and enjoying the sight 
of Thine infinite beauty face to face, and without 
veil ? When shall I attain to the possession of 
Thee, my Creator, in such a manner that 1 may say, 
My God, I cannot lose Thee more? 

O my Saviour ! whilst Thou seest me an exile, and 
full of trouble, in this land of enemies, where I live 




604 



Various Prayers, 



in continual warfare, help me with Thy grace, and 
console me in this sorrowful pilgrimage. Whatever 
the world may offer me, I know that nothing in it 
can bring peace; but yet I fear lest, if I have not 
help from Thee, the pleasures of the world, joined 
to my evil inclinations, should draw me on to some 
terrible precipice. 

Exile as I am in this valley of tears, I would think 
of Thee continually, O my God ! and share in that 
infinite happiness which Thou enjoyest ; but the evil 
appetites of sense make themselves heard within me, 
and disturb me. I would that my affections were 
ever occupied in loving Thee and thanking Thee ; 
but in my flesh I feel drawn towards sensual de- 
lights, and thence I am constrained to exclaim with 
St. Paul, " Unhappy man that I am, who shall de- 
liver me from the body of this death ?" (Rom. vii. 24.) 
Miserable man that I am, in continual combat, not 
only with external enemies, but with myself, whence 
I am weighed down and a trouble to myself. 

Who, then, will deliver me from the body of this 
death ? that is, from the danger of falling into sin, 
from that peril, the fear only of which is to me a 
Continual death, which torments me, and will not 
cease to torment me during all my life : " Go not far 
from me, O God ; my God, in Thy help I put my 
trust" (Ps. Ixx. 12). 

My God, go not far from me ; because if thou 
goest from me, I fear I shall displease Thee. There- 
fore, draw nearer to me with Thy powerful help ; 
succor me continually, that I may be able to resist 
the attacks of my enemies. The royal prophet has 
said that Thou art ever near, that Thou dost endow 
with holy patience all those who are of sorrowful 
heart, afflicted within themselves (Ps. xxxiii. 19). 
Remain beside me, then, my beloved Saviour, and 
give me that patience which I need in order to over- 
come the continual attacks by which I am tormented. 



Various Prayers. 



As often as I try to give myself to meditation and 
prayer, troublesome thoughts draw me away, and 
distract me with a thousand follies , do Thou give 
me force to drive them from me, and to crucify all 
the evil inclinations that hinder me from uniting 
myself to Thee. And take from me, I pray Thee, 
the great repugnance that I feel to embracing in 
love and peace everything that is not according to 
my own self-love. 

O house of my God, prepared for those that love 
Thee, to Thee I sigh from this land of misery. " I 
have gone astray as a sheep that is lost" Oh, seek Thy 
servant." O beloved Shepherd of my soul, who 
didst descend from heaven to seek and to save the 
lost sheep! behold me, one of these who have turned 
from Thee, and lost itself ! Seek Thy servant ; Lord, 
seek me ; abandon me not, as I deserve ; seek me 
and save me ; take me and keep me safe within 
Thine arms, that I may not leave Thee any more. 

While I am looking towards paradise with strong 
desire, my enemy frightens me with the remem- 
brance of my sins ; but the sight of Thee, my cruci- 
fied Jesus, consoles me, and gives me courage to 
hope that some day I may come to love Thee, and 
behold Thee unveiled in Thy blessed kingdom. 
Queen of heaven, continue to be my advocate. 
Through the Blood of Jesus Christ and through 
thine intercession, I have a firm hope of being 
saved. 

3irar»er to abottr 2Lufutoarmtira#* 

Lord, have mercy upon me ! I see that I have 
deserved to be vomited forth by Thee, for 
the many defects with which I have served 
Thee. Miserable I am, for I see myself without love, 
without confidence, and without desire. O my 
Jesus ! abandon me not ; stretch forth Thy powerful 
hand, and drive me from this slough of lukewarm- 




6o6 



Various Prayers. 



ness in which I see myself fallen Grant this through 
the merits of Thy Passion, in which I trust. O holy 
Virgin, pray to Jesus for me ! 

Stnotfjer 13 rawer* 

my God ! reject me not, as I deserve, for I 
will amend. I know well that so negligent 
a life as mine cannot satisfy Thee. I know 



that I have myself, by my lukewarm ness, shut the 
door against the graces which Thou didst desire to 
bestow upon me. O Lord ! do not yet abandon me, 
continue to be merciful towards me ; I will rise from 
this miserable state. I will for the future be more 
careful to overcome my passions, to follow Thy in- 
spirations, and never will I through slothfulness 
omit my duties, but I will fulfil them with greater 
diligence. In short, I will, from this time forward, 
do all I can to please Thee, and I will neglect noth- 
ing which I may know to be pleasing to Thee. Since 
thou, O my Jesus ! hast been so liberal with Thy 
graces towards me, and hast deigned to give Thy 
Blood and Thy Life for me, there is no reason I 
should act with so little generosity towards Thee. 
Thou art worthy of all honor, all love, and to please 
Thee one ought gladly to undergo every labor, every 
pain. But, O my Redeemer ! Thou knowest my 
weakness, help me with Thy powerful grace ; in 
Thee I confide. O immaculate Virgin Mary! help 
me to overcome myself, and to become a saint. 

$ra»er to ofctaw a Vittovv obtv ^Temptations 

j|Y God, " cast me not away from Thy face" (Ps. 
1. 13). I well know that Thou wilt never 
abandon me if I do not first abandon Thee. 
Alas ! I fear this misfortune through the experience 
I already have of my own weakness. Lord, it is for 
Thee to give me the strength of which I am in 
need to withstand the assaults of hell. I ask this 



Various Prayers. 



607 



for the love of Jesus Christ. My Saviour, estab- 
lish perpetual peace between me and Thee ; estab- 
lish an eternal and indissolvable union. To this 
end, give me Thy love. " He that loveth not, 
abideth in death" (1 John iii. 14). It is for Thee, O 
God of my soul ! to deliver me from this miserable 
death. By that, bitter death which Thou didst en- 
dure for me, let me not again lose Thy friendship, O 
my Jesus ! I love Thee more than all else, and hope 
to remain ever bound to Thee by the chains of love. 
I hope ever to live bound by them, both on earth 
and eternally in heaven. 

O Mary ! thou art the mother and dispenser of 
perseverance ; it is from thee that I ask and hope for 
this great gift. 

drawer for tfje g£ootr fitnplogmettt of £tnte* 

Ilessed forever, O my God, be the patience 
with which Thou hast borne with me ! Thou 
• didst give me time in which to love Thee, 
and I have employed it in offending and displeasing 
Thee. Had I now to die, what would not be my sor- 
row on thinking of how many years I have lived in this 
world, without doing aught for Thee ? Lord, I thank 
Thee for the time Thou art still giving me, so that I 
may repair my negligence and the loss of so many 
years. My Jesus, by Thy Passion vouchsafe to help 
me in living no more for myself, but only for Thee 
and Thy love. I know not whether much time is 
still remaining me to live ; but if Thou dost vouch- 
safe me a thousand years, I hope to employ them 
only in loving and pleasing Thee. I love Thee, my 
Sovereign Good, and hope to love Thee eternally. I 
wish to be no longer ungrateful to Thee, nor any 
longer to resist Thy love, which has been so long 
pleading with me to give myself entirely to Thee. 
Why then should I wait any longer ? Is it that 
Thou shouldst altogether abandon me and call me 



6o8 



Various Prayers. 



no more ? O Mary ! by thy advocacy thou hast ob- 
tained for me this time which is given to me. Assist 
me now, and obtain for me the grace to spend it all 
in loving thy Son, my Redeemer, and in loving thee, 
my Queen and my Mother. 

Eraser to ofctatu tjje (&xutz of goberntug out 
STottfiue* 

Kgsral my God ! I consecrate my tongue to Thee, that 



it may never offend Thee more. Thou didst 



give it me, O my God ! that with it I might 
praise Thee ; and I have made use of it to offend 
Thee, and to draw others also into sinning against 
Thee. I repent with my whole soul. Oh, for the 
love of Jesus Christ, Who, during His life on earth, 
honored Thee so much with His tongue, grant that 
I also may from this day forth honor Thee constantly, 
by celebrating Thy praises, by frequently invoking 
Thy aid, and by speaking of Thy goodness and the 
infinite love which Thou dost deserve. 

$ra$er of a Soul tljut rrestrcs its oton Saitcttffcation* 

[RSgBI Jesus, my Love ! I am determined to love Thee 



as much as I can, and I wish to become a 



saint ; and I wish to become a saint for this 
reason, that I may give Thee pleasure, and love Thee 
exceedingly in this life and the next. I can do noth- 
ing of myself, but Thou canst do all things ; and I 
know that Thou wishest me to become a saint. I 
see already that by Thy grace my soul sighs only for 
Thee, and seeks nothing else but Thee. I wish to 
live no more for myself ; Thou desirest me to be 
wholly Thine, and I desire to be wholly Thine. 
Come, and unite me to Thyself, and Thyself to me. 
Thou art infinite goodness; Thou art He Who hast 
loved me so much; Thou art, indeed, too loving and 
too worthy of love ; how, then, can I love anything 
but Thee ? I prefer Thy love before all the things 





Various Prayers. 



609 



of this world ; Thou art the sole object, the sole end 
of all my affections. I renounce all that I may be 
occupied solely in loving Thee, my Redeemer, my 
Comforter, my Hope, my Love, and my All. I will 
not despair of becoming a saint on account of the 
sins of my past life ; for 1 know, my Jesus, that thou 
didst die in order to pardon the truly penitent. I 
love Thee now w T ith my whole heart, with my whole 
soul ; I love Thee more than myself, and I bewail, 
above every other evil, ever having had the mis- 
fortune of despising Thee, my Sovereign Good. Now 
I am no longer my own. I am Thine; O God of my 
heart ! dispose of me as Thou pleasest. In order 
to please Thee, I accept all the tribulations Thou 
mayest choose to send me — sickness, sorrow, troubles, 
ignominies, poverty, persecution, desolation — I ac- 
cept all to please Thee; in like manner I accept 
the death Thou hast decreed for me. with all the 
anguish and crosses which may accompany it : it is 
enough if Thou grantest me the grace to love Thee 
exceedingly. Lend me Thy assistance; give me 
strength henceforth to compensate, by my love, for 
all the bitterness that I have caused Thee in past 
time, O only Love of my soul ! 

O Queen of heaven, O Mother of God, O great 
Advocate of sinners, I trust in thee ! 

grayer to attain to tfje Science of tjr Saints. 

[KSgSI Thou Who art the true and perfect Lover of 
l||9j my soul, where shall I find one whq has so 

P 8 "! loved me as Thou hast? During my life 
that is past I have lost my time in attaining the 
knowledge of many things which have profited my 
soul nothing, and I have thought nothing of know- 
ing how to love Thee. I see that my life has been 
lost. I perceive that Thou callest me to Thy holy 
love ; behold. I leave all ; from this day forth my one 
thought shall be to please Thee, my highest Good, 



6io 



Various Prayers. 



lirager to ofitam tf)t Ckrace at altoags acting font!) a 

@Jootr £ntentton. 
K8HI HEN shall I begin to love Thee sincerely, O my 
[AVsj Jesus ? Unhappy that I am, if I look into 
a || m y wor k s> even my best, do I find any 
one done entirely for Thee? Alas! my Lord, no. 
Have pity on me, and do not let me serve Thee thus 
negligently until I die. Help me so that I may un- 
reservedly consecrate the remainder of my life to 
Thee. May I surmount all obstacles in order to 
please Thee, and in all my actions have but that one 
aim. I beg this of Thee through the merits of Thy 
Passion. Mary, my powerful Advocate, obtain this 
grace for me by thy prayers. 

^rager to attain to ail ?gol2 Uixtxitx. 

■ Y Lord and my God, by the merits of Jesus 
Christ, I ask Thee above all to enlighten me ; 



I BsMgia j ma ke me to know the vanity of the goods of 
this world, that there is nothing worth loving but 
Thee, the Supreme and Infinite Good. Make me 
know my unworthiness, and how worthy Thou art 
of being loved by all, and especially by me on ac- 
count of the love Thou hast borne me. Give me 
holy humility to embrace with cheerfulness all the 
contempt that I may receive from men. Give rne a 
great sorrow for my sins. Give me the love of holy 
mortification, that by it I may curb my passions and 
punish my rebellious senses. Give me a love for the 
obedience I owe to my superiors. Give me grace to 
direct all that I do to the sole end of pleasing Thee. 
Give me holy purity of mind and body, and detach- 
ment from everything that does not tend to the love 
of Thee. Give me great confidence in the Passion 
of Jesus Christ, and in the intercession of the ever-, 
blessed Mary. Give me, above all, a great love to- 
wards Thee, and a perfect conformity to Thy divine 
will, I recommend to Thee also the souls of purga- 




Various Prayers. 



611 



tory, my relatives, benefactors, and friends, and all 
those from whom I have received any affront or 
injury ; I pray Thee, shower down upon them all 
blessings. Finally, I recommend to Thee infidels, 
heretics, and all those who are in a state of sin. 
Since Thou, my God, art worthy of infinite love, 
make Thyself known and loved by all ; but especially 
by me, who have been most ungrateful to Thee. I 
have offended Thee enough ; make me love Thee 
exceedingly, and take me to heaven, where I shall 
sing Thy mercies for all eternity. Blessed Mary, 
pray to Jesus for me ! Amen. 

Consecration of (©urselbes to <&uv 3Lortr + 

|y Beloved to me and I to Him" (Cant. ii. 16). 
As then, O my God ! Thou hast given Thy- 
self entirely to me, I should be too ungrate- 
ful if I did not give myself entirely to Thee ; since 
Thou wouldst have me belong wholly to Thee, be- 
hold, O my Lord ! I give myself entirely to Thee. 
Accept me through Thy mercy, disdain me not. 
Grant that this my heart, which once loved creat- 
ures, may turn now wholly to Thy infinite goodness. 
" Let me henceforth die," said St. Teresa ; " let an- 
other than myself live in me. Let God live in me, 
and give me life. Let Him reign, and let me be His 
slave, for my soul wishes no other liberty." This 
my heart is too small, O God most worthy of love ! 
It is too little able to love Thee, Who art deserving 
of an infinite love. I should then commit too great 
an injustice were I still to divide it by loving any- 
thing besides Thee. I love Thee, my God, above 
everything. I love only Thee ; I renounce all creat- 
ures, and give myself entirely to Thee, my Jesus, my 
Saviour, my Love, my All. I say, and always will 
say: " What have I in heaven, and besides Thee, 
what do I desire on earth ? . . . Thou art the God 
of my heart, and the God that is my portion for- 



6l2 



Various Prayers. 



ever" (Ps. lxii. 25). I desire nothing, either in this 
life or in the next, but to possess the treasure of Thy 
love. I am unwilling that creatures should have any 
more a place in my heart; Thou alone must be its 
master. To Thee only shall it belong for the future. 
Thou only shalt be my God, my repose, my desire, 
all my love. " Give me only Thy love and Thy 
grace, and I am rich enough." O most holy Virgin 
Mary ! obtain for me this, that I may be faithful to 
God, and never recall the donation which I have 
made of myself to Him. 

Shorter ffovm of ftottsecrattott* 

Y Lord and my God ! I consecrate myself en- 
tirely to Thee. I pray Thee, take possession 
of my soul, my body, my senses, my faculties, 
my will, my liberty, my whole self. Thou alone art 
all goodness, all worthy of love ; be Thou my only 
love. 

$ra»er to abottr all Self^seekms m ottr ^tets* 

MY crucified Jesus ! I am one who, even in my 
devotions, have gone about seeking my own 
pleasure and my own satisfaction ; all unlike 



to Thee, Who, through love of me, didst pass a life 
of suffering, deprived of every alleviation. Give me 
Thy help, that henceforth I may seek only Thy 
pleasure and Thy glory. I would love Thee without 
any other reward : but I am weak ; Thou must give 
me the strength to accomplish it. Behold me ; I am 
Thine ; dispose of me as it pleases Thee ; make me 
love Thee, and I ask for nothing more. O Mary, my 
Mother ! obtain for me faithfulness to God, through 
thy intercession. 

drawer tijat toe mao lobe CSoir as perfeetlfc as possible* 

my God and my All ! I would rather have Thee 
than all the riches, honors, knowledge, glory, 
expectations, and gifts that Thou couldst 



Various Prayers. 



613 



give me. Thou art all my good. Thee alone I de- 
sire, and nothing more ; for Thou alone art infinitely- 
beautiful, infinitely kind, infinitely worthy of love ; in 
a word, Thou art the only thing that is good. Where- 
fore every gift that is not Thyself is not enough for 
me. I repeat, and I will ever repeat it — Thee alone I 
wish for, and nothing more ; and whatever is less 
than Thee, I say it again, is not sufficient for me. 

Oh, when w r ill it be given me to occupy myself 
wholly in praising Thee, loving Thee, and pleasing 
Thee, so that I shall no more think of the creature, 
nor even of myself ? O my Lord and my Love ! help 
me when Thou seest me growing cold in Thy love, 
in danger of giving my affection to creatures and to 
earthly goods : " Stretch forth Thy hand from on 
high, seize me, and deliver me from many waters" 
(Ps. cxliii. 7). Deliver me from the danger of going 
far away from Thee. 

Let others seek what they will ; it pleases not me, 
and I desire nothing but Thee, my God, my Love, 
and my Hope. 

©ffermg of our totll to €£otr* 

fgOT|]]H, my God ! all my past ruin has arisen from 



a want of conformity to Thy will. O God of 



| ™MI J my soul ! I detest and curse a thousand times 
the days and moments in which I have, in order to 
do my own will, contradicted Thine. I now give 
Thee mine unreservedly. Accept it, O my Lord ! 
and bind it so firmly to Thy love that it may never 
more be able to rebel against Thee. I love Thee, 

Infinite Goodness ! and through the love which 

1 bear Thee I offer myself entirely to Thee. Dispose 
of me and of all I possess, as Thou pleasest : I resign 
myself entirely to Thy holy will. Preserve me from 
the misfortune of doing anything against Thy holy 
will, and then treat me as Thou wishest. Eternal 
Father, hear me for the love of Jesus Christ. My 




614 



Various Prayers. 



Jesus, hear me through the merits of Thy Passion. 
Most holy Mary, assist me ; obtain for me the grace 
to fulfil the divine will, in the accomplishment of 
which my salvation entirely consists : obtain this 
grace for me, and I ask nothing more. 

&cts of €ottformtt£ tottjj tfte totil of &otr. 

fWTjlY Jesus, every time I say, " Blessed be God," 
SgJgB or " God's will be done," I intend to submit 
BSM2 "' I myself to all that Thou hast arranged for me, 
in time and eternity. 

2. I desire no other employment, talents, dwelling, 
clothing, food, or health, but what is pleasing to God 
and what Thou hast destined for me. If Thou wiliest 
that all my affairs should go badly, my plans fail, 
law-suits be lost, and that all I possess be taken from 
me, such is my will too. 

3. If Thou wiliest that I be despised, hated, put 
below others, calumniated, and ill-treated even by 
my dearest friends, such is my will too. 

4. If Thou wiliest that I fall into absolute poverty, 
that I be driven from home and country, shut up in 
a dungeon, and that I pass my life in constant pain 
and anguish, such is my will too. 

5. If Thou wiliest that I be always poorly, covered 
with sores, crippled, confined to my bed, forsaken by 
all, such is my will too, just as Thou pleasest, and as 
long as Thou pleasest. My life itself I place in Thy 
hands, and I accept whatever death Thou dost des- 
tine for me ; in the same way do I accept the death 
of my relations and friends, and whatsoever Thou 
wiliest. 

6. I will also everything that Thou wiliest regard- 
ing my spiritual progress. I desire to love Thee in 
this life with all my heart, and to go to love Thee 
as a seraph in paradise, but I am content with what 
Thou wiliest. \i Thou dost will to give me only one 
degree of love, of grace, and of glory, I do not wish for 



Various Prayers. 



more, because such is Thy will ; I prefer the accom- 
plishment of Thy will to any gain of mine. In a 
word, dispose of me. my God, and of all that belongs 
to me, as it may please Thee without minding my 
wishes, as I wish for nothing else but what Thou 
wiliest. Whatever be Thy treatment of me, whether 
it be hard or gentle, pleasing or disagreeable, I ac- 
cept, I embrace it. because the one and the other 
comes to me from Thy hand. 

7. In fine, my Jesus, I accept, in an especial way, 
my death and all the pains that may accompany it, 
as Thou wiliest, in whatever place Thou wiliest, and 
whenever Thou wiliest. I unite it, my Saviour, to 
Thy most holy death, and offer it to Thee as a proof 
of the love I bear Thee. I wish to die in order to 
please Thee, and to fulfil Thy holy will. 

33rai>er in Zimz of ZvqiMv. 

^DIVINE gift ! gift above every other gift ; to 
love in suffering, and to suffer in loving. 

O my Jesus ! Thou alone hast been able 

to teach us these maxims of salvation, all contrary 
to the maxims of the world ; and Thou alone canst 
give us strength to suffer crosses with patience. I 
do not pray Thee to exempt me from suffering : I 
only pray Thee to give me strength to suffer with 
patience and resignation. O Eternal Father, Thy 
Son has promised that whatever we ask Thee in His 
name. Thou wilt give it us. Behold, we ask this of 
Thee : give us grace to endure with patience the 
pains of this life ; hear us, for the love of Jesus 
Christ. And Thou, O my Jesus! pardon me all the 
offences I have committed against Thee, in that I 
have not been willing to suffer with patience the 
troubles Thou hast sent me. Give me Thy love, 
that it may give me strength to suffer all for love of 
Thee. Deprive me of everything, of every earthly 
good, of relatives, friends, health of body, of every 



6i6 



Various Prayers. 



comfort ; deprive me even of life, — but not of Thy 
love. Give me Thyself, and I ask no more. O most 
holy Virgin ! obtain for me an enduring love for 
Jesus Christ, even till death. 

$ra»er to ofitatn tjje ekrace of fcearmg J^umtltattons 
patimtlg. 

Y Jesus, I blush to appear before Thee : Thou 
didst so love neglect and reproach as to die 

1 on a cross, jeered at and insulted ; whilst I — 

I cannot bear with the least slight: Thou, innocence 
itself, didst consent, out of love for me, to be over- 
whelmed with ignominy ; whilst I, a miserable sinner, 
am greedy of honors and praise ! Ah, my divine 
Saviour, how far am I from resembling Thee ! This 
makes me fear for my eternal salvation, since the 
predestinate ought in all things to be conformed to 
Thee, their great model. But I will not despair of 
Thy mercy, I will continue to hope that Thou wilt 
help and change me. By the help of Thy grace, I 
propose henceforth bearing patiently with all insults 
and slights, out of love for Thee. By Thy example 
Thou hast made affronts dear to souls that love Thee ! 
I love Thee, O my God, and I would do all I can 
to please Thee. Forgive me the displeasure I have 
given Thee by my pride ; I repent of it with my 
whole heart : give me strength to be faithful to the 
promise I now make Thee, never to complain of any 
affronts that may be offered me. 

O Mary, my Mother, who wast so humble, obtain 
me the grace of imitating thee as far as I am able. 

^rager of a VivQin Ubtng in tfje OTorlir or tn tfje 
Cloister* 

my Jesus, my God, and my Redeemer, who 
didst die for me ! forgive me if I dare to call 
myself Thy spouse. I dare do this, because 
I see that Thou hast called me to that honor ; nor 




Various Prayers. 



617 



do I know how to thank Thee for that grace. I 
should now have been in hell ; and Thou, instead of 
chastising me, hast called me to be Thy spouse. Yes, 
my Spouse, I leave the world, I leave all through 
love of Thee, and give myself entirely to Thee. 
What is the world to me ? My Jesus, henceforward 
Thou art to be my only Good — my only love. I see 
that Thou wishest to have my entire heart, and I 
wish to resign it entirely to Thee. Receive me in Thy 
mercy, and do not reject me as I have deserved that 
Thou shouldst. Forget all the offences that I have 
given Thee, of which I repent with my*whole soul ; 
would that I had died before offending Thee ! Par- 
don me ; inflame me with Thy holy love, and give 
me Thy aid, in order that I may be faithful to Thee, 
and never leave Thee more. Thou, my Spouse, hast 
given Thyself all to me. Behold ! I give myself en- 
tirely to Thee. Mary, my Queen and my Mother, 
chain my heart to that of Jesus Christ ; and fasten 
both hearts so that they be never sundered more. 

^ lira^er to ofctam fftixzl IBersebcrance* 

Uternal Father, I humbly adore Thee, and 
thank Thee for having created me, and for 
having redeemed me through Jesus Christ. 
I thank Thee most sincerely for having made me a 
Christian, by giving me the true faith, and by adopt- 
ing me as Thy son, in the sacrament of baptism. I 
thank Thee for having pardoned (as I humbly hope) 
all the offences which I have offered to Thee, and for 
having preserved me from so many relapses, of which 
I would have been guilty if Thou hadst not protected 
me. But my enemies still continue, and will con- 
tinue till death, to combat against me, and to en- 
deavor to make me their slave. If Thou dost not 
constantly guard and succor me with Thine aid, I, a 
miserable creature, will return to sin, and shall cer- 
tainly lose Thy grace. I beseech Thee, then, for the 



6i8 



Various Prayers. 



love of Jesus Christ, to grant me holy perseverance 
unto death. Jesus, Thy Son, has promised that 
Thou wilt grant whatsoever we ask in His name. 
Through the merits, then, of Jesus Christ, I beg, for 
myself and for all the just, the grace never again to 
be separated from Thy love. I am certain, O my 
God, that if I continue to ask perseverance of Thee 
I shall obtain it, because Thou hast promised to hear 
the prayer of all who call upon Thee ; but what I 
fear is this — that in the moment of danger I may 
omit calling, on Thee, and then I may fall. The 
grace, then, which I ask of Thee in the name of 
Jesus and Mary, is that of never neglecting prayer. 
Grant that, in all temptations, I may never fail in 
having recourse to Thee, by invoking the holy names 
of Jesus and Mary. By this means, O my God, I 
have a firm hope of dying in Thy grace and of loving 
Thee forever in paradise, where I shall be assured 
of never more being separated from Thee and of 
loving Thee to all eternity. Amen. 

£f)e same 3pra#er, to be satfcr frequently 

ternal Father, relying on the promise made 
by Thy divine Son, " Whatever ye ask of the 
Father in My name, He will give it to you 
I ask of Thee, in the name of Jesus, the graces of 
holy perseverance and of loving Thee with my whole 
heart. For the future, grant me the grace of always 
perfectly accomplishing Thy holy will. 

* 33ra»er to fce preserbetr from «Sutrtren anti 2infore= 
seen ©eatj), 

Y soul, cease from sinning; think on thy sud- 
den passage from life to eternal torments: 
there all penitence and penitential tears will 
be useless. Whilst there is still time, be converted ; 
cry out to the Lord, saying : My God, have pity on 
me — O most merciful Lord Jesus, by Thine Agony 



Various Prayers. 



619 



and Bloody Sweat, and by Thy Death, deliver me, 
I pray Thee, from sudden and unprepared death. O 
most gentle Lord Jesus, by Thy cruel and ignomin- 
ious scourging and crowning with thorns, by Thy 
cross and bitter passion, and by Thine own great 
goodness, I humbly pray Thee let me not die unpre- 
pared and pass from this life without the holy 
sacraments. Jesus, my best beloved, my Lord ! by 
all Thy travails and all Thy sorrows, by Thy precious 
Blood, and by Thy most holy wounds, and by those 
last words spoken by Thee upon the cross : " My 
God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" and 
again, " Father, into Thy hands I commend My 
spirit," most ardently I pray Thee free me from a 
sudden death. O God, in Whose sight every heart 
trembles and every conscience is awed ! show forth 
Thy mercy upon us Thy suppliants, that we, who 
trust not in the excellence of our own merit, may 
never experience Thy judgments by suddenness of 
death, but may receive Thy pardon through Our 
Lord Jesus Christ. 

*3&eiufcual of tyz 2Saqpttsmart 
[Kj'jWlN the name of the Most Holy Trinity, of God 



the Father Who created me, of God the Son 



Who redeemed me, of God the Holy Ghost 
Who sanctifieth me ; in presence of the Blessed Vir- 
gin Mary, Mother of God, and my Mother; of St. 
Joseph, of my angel-guardian, of my holy patrons, 
and all the court of heaven, — before the holy Roman 
Catholic Church I renew and ratify the sacred and 
inviolable engagements which were made for me on 
the day of my baptism. I protest that with all my 
heart I renounce Satan, his pomps and works, being 
resolved to remain faithful to God Our Lord Jesus 
Christ unto death. Yea, cursed be Satan, the lying 
spirit, the propagator of error, the enemy of the 
Church; cursed be the pomps of Satan, which are the 




620 



Various Prayers. 



corrupted world, its vanities, its pernicious maxims, 
its seducing pleasures; cursed be the works of Satan, 
which are sin and the evil propensities of the heart. 
Yea, rather lose all than lose the faith given me in 
my baptism ; rather die than live an enemy to my 
God. Eternal Father, in the name of Jesus, grant 
that I may be faithful to my promises. O Mary, 
Mother of perseverance ! do not abandon me. 

* Eraser for our ?^ol» JFatJjer tfje ^ope* 

i"ISfil ET us P ra y ^ or our ^°ly Father the Pope, 
9 Gift ^ The Lord preserve him and give 

^ — *' him life, and make him blessed upon earth, 
and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies. — 
" Our Father " once. 1 

3Jra»er for tfje ffiolg <&\)\\xi§. 

|g T jpgj|ORD,God of virtues, turn Thy loving face towards 



. us, and save us. Thou didst banish idolatry 



" from the world, and didst plant the vine of 
the Church with so much care, that carefully revealed 
truth was made known in all parts of the world. 
The cross of Jesus Christ has been everywhere adored, 
the prophecy has been fulfilled which announced 
that one day the true faith should fill the whole 
world. But too soon heresy, that wild beast com- 
ing forth from the forest of hell, came to lay waste 
that vine, so that error is now reigning in many king- 
doms of Europe. And what is still more deplorable 
is, that in countries that have remained faithful the 
Faith has now become an object of persecution on 
the part of the unbelieving. Ah, my God ! we beg 
Thee to turn Thy face to us, and behold how Thy 
vine has been laid waste. Look on it, visit it, and 




300 c/ays" 1 indulgence, once a day. Plenary indulgence once a 
month, on a day of choice, and on the usual conditions. (Nov, 26, 
1876.) 



Various Prayers. 



621 



repair the damage done to it by its enemies ; they 
have despised and turned into derision Thy Church, 
Thy Scriptures, Thy precepts, Thy maxims, — in a 
word, all holy truths. Call to mind, O Eternal 
Father ! that in order to obey Thee, and to cultivate 
this vine according to Thy holy will, Thy Son Jesus 
Christ made Himself the Son of Man ; call to mind 
that He consecrated the sweat and fatigue of His 
whole life to planting it. We pray Thee, then, 
through Thy love for this divine Son, to hear our 
prayer: do Thou vouchsafe to govern and preserve 
the Holy Church ; do Thou vouchsafe to humble 
her enemies. We pray Thee, hear us. 



& potter Eraser tot tjje <£j)ttrcfj* 

Jord, Thy Church, that vine planted by Thy 
divine Son and watered by His Blood, is laid 
waste on all sides ; hasten to visit it and re- 
store it ; Thou alone canst restore it. 



drawer to fflzv$ for tf)t 3^ol» (Ejmrcf)* 

^ Queen of heaven, thy immense love for God 
maketh thee likewise love His Church. We 
— pray thee, come to its help amidst the ills 
under which it is now suffering, rent asunder as 
she is by her own children. Thy prayers, being a 
mother's, can obtain all from that God Who loveth 
Thee so well. Pray then, pray for the Church ; ask 
for enlightenment for so many unbelievers who are 
persecuting it, and obtain for faithful souls the neces- 
sary strength to resist being caught in the snares of 
the unbelievers who would drag them down into 
their own ruin. 



622 



Various Prayers. 



3$xwgzx for our <&ouniv$. 



alvum fac popu- 
lum tuum, Domi- 
ne, et benedic he- 
reditati tuae. 

Exurgat Deus, et dissi- 
pentur inimici ejus. 

Exurge, Christe, adjuva 
nos et libera nos propter 
nomen tuum. 

Domine, salvum fac re- 
gem, et exaudi nos in die 
qua invocaverimus te. 

Miserere nostri, Domi- 
ne, miserere nostri. 



jjORD, save Thy peo- 
ple, and bless Thy 
heritage. 

May God arise and may 
His enemies be scattered. 

O Jesus, arise, come to 
our help and deliver us, 
for the glory of Thy 
Name. 

Lord, save the King, 
and vouchsafe to hear our 
prayers. 

Have mercy on us, 
Lord, have mercy on us. 



$ra»er for $eace. 




llVE peace, O Lord, in our days ; for there is 
none other that fighteth for us, but only 
I Thou, our God. 



V. Let there be peace in Thy strength, O Lord. 
R. And plenty in Thy strong places. 

Let us Pray. 

^God, from Whom proceed all holy desires, all 
right counsels and just works ; grant unto us 
Thy servants that peace which the world can- 
not give, that our hearts may be devoted to Thy service 
and that, being delivered from the fear of our enemies, 
we may pass our time in peace under Thy protection. 
Through Christ Our Lord. Amen. 1 



1 ioo days' indulgence each time; Plenary on the usual conditions to 
those who shall have said it daily for a whole month, 



Va? -io us Prayers . 



623 



}Drai>cr for x\)t Uritfitous ©rtrcrs, 

LORD ! finish Thy work, and, for Thy glory, 
grant that Religious may be all Thine,- so 
that all the members of Thy Orders may un- 
til the day of judgment be pleasing to Thee, and 
gain over to Thee an immense number of souls. 
Amen. Amen. 

jara«rr for ISrtcsts, 

Y God, I believe in the sublime dignity con- 
ferred on Thy ministers by priesthood — the 
— supreme dignity of all, says St. Ignatius ; 
a divine dignity, says St. Denis; a dignity surpass- 
ing that of kings and angels, says St. Ambrose. O 
my God ! Thy priests are the leaders of Thy people 
(St. P. Damian), the guardians of Thy Church (St. Ber- 
nard), the light of the world (Matt. v. 14), the dis- 
pensers of the sacraments (St. P. Damian), the vicars 
of Jesus Christ (St. Augustine), and His coadjutors 
in the work of salvation (1 Cor. iii. 9). I believe, O 
Lord ! that at the very instant when Thy priest con- 
secrates, the Incarnate Word makes it a duty to obey 
him by coming into his hands under the sacramental 
species ; I also believe that at the moment when the 
priest gives absolution to a penitent sinner, that sin- 
ner is changed from being an enemy of God and a 
slave of hell into being an inheritor of heaven, and 
that thus the priest may indeed be rightly named the 
door-keeper of heaven (St. Prosper). Grant then, 
O Lord ! to me and to ail the faithful, to have the 
same respect and submission to the person, words, 
and counsels of Thy ministers as for Thine own, since 
Thou Thyself didst say to them : "He that heareth 
you heareth Me, and he that despiseth you despiseth 
Me" (Luke x. 26). Lastly, my God ! I ask of Thee 
for all the priests in the world, and specially for 
those who have done any good to my soul, by seeking 




624 



Various Prayers, 



to sanctify it, the grace of loving Thee much and 
making Thee to be loved by others, so that by their 
piQty, their virtues, and the ardor of their zeal they 
may merit a place with Thy apostles and most faith- 
ful servants. O Mary, Mother of Jesus ! do thou 
second the efforts of all thy Son's priests, and sanctify 
their lives and souls. Amen. 

* WMnt praises in d&tpuvation of 3$lasj)])enti>. 

ffSSHI LESSED De God. 

Blessed be His holy name. 
==^al Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true 
Man. 

Blessed be the name of Jesus. 
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of 
the Altar. 

Blessed be the great Mother of God, the most 
holy Mary. 

Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. 
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints. 1 



MOST merciful Jesus, Lover of souls ! I pray 
Thee, by the agony of Thy most Sacred 



^"^ l Heart, and by the sorrows of Thy Im- 
maculate Mother, wash in Thy Blood the sinners of 
the whole world who are now in their agony and are 
to die this day. Amen. 

Heart of Jesus, once in agony, have pity on the 
dying. 2 



1 Indulgences : One year for every recital ; Plenary once a month, 
with the usual conditions, for those who have said them at least once 
daily through the month. Applicable to the dead. 

2 ioo days' indulgence each time ; Plenary, once a month, to all 
who say it for a month together, three times a, day at distinct intejv 

vais, 



* Stager for tfje ggouiffug* 




Various Prayers. 



625 



^rager for tfje Gtouberstott of Enfitrels, Jgerrttcs, antr 
Sinners* 

[J5ESf3| Redeemer of the human race ! Thou didst 



come to this earth 111 order to redeem men 



P™^ ! from the hands of Lucifer at the price of 
Thy Blood, so that they might one day partake of 
eternal beatitude with Thee in heaven. But, alas ! 
many among them know Thee not, because they are 
idolaters ; many others, again, heretics, know Thee 
for the true God, but, living out of the Church, they 
trample Thy Blood and all the benefits of redemp- 
tion under foot. As for Catholics, Thy own and only 
remaining children, they should indeed console Thee ; 
but alas ! it is they who afflict Thee most, since the 
greater number of them live far from Thee, in a state 
of corruption of morals that is ever increasing before 
Thine eyes. 

O Saviour of the world, divine Pastor, Who in 
great suffering didst consume Thy life on the cross 
for the salvation of men ! have pity on Thy sheep ; 
come to our aid amidst the ruin and dangers which 
are exposing us to lose our souls eternally. The 
faith which Thou didst implant in Thy Church at 
the price of Thy sweat is despised even by those 
who profess it, since they live as if they did not be- 
lieve the truths Thou hast revealed to them, and as 
if they had not, one day, to die and appear before 
Thy tribunal to give an account of their lives ; they 
live as if for them there were neither paradise, hell, 
nor eternity ! It is for us, who by a special grace of 
Thy great goodness are among the sheep of Thy 
fold, to honor Thee by obeying Thy voice ; but are 
we not Thy most cruel enemies, since, attached to 
the goods of this world and to its culpable maxims, 
we make no difficulty of despising Thy law and Thy 
grace, and thus, instead of endeavoring to appease 
Thy justice, we are irritating it more and more ; it 




626 



Various Prayers. 



would seem as if we were wilfully opposing ourselves 
to receiving Thy mercy. 

But I am now addressing a God of mercy and of in- 
finite power — a God Who, if He will, can make good 
come out of evil. Show then Thy power, O all- 
powerful Lord ! not by punishing us, but by subject- 
ing our rebel wills to Thy most holy will, which has 
proved its love for us by sending the Incarnate Word 
to die for our salvation. For the love of Thy divine 
Son, have pity on us then, and apply a remedy to our 
sad state. O Mother of God, Mary, pray for us and 
save us ; thy prayers, being a mother's, will never be 
rejected. 

3$xu&zx for tge i&onbzvmon of &nbtUc\)zvs* 
\fis$ffl\ Incarnate Word, Saviour of the world, Who 



by Thy death didst procure eternal salvation 



for men, why hast Thou found such ingrati- 
tude among them that not only they refuse to obey 
and to love Thee, but they even go so far as to deny 
the death and sufferings Thou didst endure for them ? 
Thou watchest over them incessantly; and they, the 
ungrateful wretches, assert that Thou dost not even 
vouchsafe to think of them. Thou didst create them 
immortal so that they might be eternally happy ; and 
they strive to persuade themselves that they are but 
mortal, so as to be able to give themselves up un- 
restrainedly to all their vices, and thus they hasten 
to their own eternal misery. Ah ! by the merits of 
Thy life and Thy death, hasten to the help of Thy 
servants ; and let not impiety be triumphant through 
the loss of so many souls redeemed by Thy Blood. 
Do Thou reign, O Lord ! as a Sovereign over Thine 
enemies. 




Various Prayers. 



627 



drawer to #*ar» for rJjc Hrttrpattott of tfje ^afcit 
of lUafcutg 33 a U 33oofcs. 

UG1JST Mother of God, universal protectress of 
the human race ! look down on the immense 
and ever-increasing ruin which hell is occa- 
sioning souls by the spread of so many immoral 
books and writings. For thy sweet pity's sake, pray 
God. Who loveth thee so well, to give us a rem- 
edy for so great an evil. Yes. dear Lady, pray ; thy 
prayers are all-powerful with Jesus, thy Son, Whose 
pleasure it is to grant whatever thou dost ask. 

* 33ra»rr for our |3arnTts, 

God, Who hast commanded us to honor our 
father and our mother, preserve Thou to me 
these parents who are so dear to me, and to 
whom, after Thee, I am indebted for my existence 
and for all my worldly advantages. Send down on 
them all spiritual and temporal blessings ; keep them 
from all ill, and spare them long to me. O my God ! 
may their vigilance and care supply me with the ad- 
vice, resources, and support necessary for me during 
the remainder of my life ; and may I similarly, by my 
porfect obedience, obtain them all the consolation 
they have a right to expect from me. Above all, so 
direct their affection and their views in life for me 
that my temporal interests may not be weighed be- 
fore my eternal happiness. Crown Thy gifts, Lord, 
by one day uniting in heaven those whom so many 
bonds have united on earth. O Mary ! I address the 
same prayer to thee, and of thee I ask the same 
favors. Amen. 

* }3rai?rr for <8arrtrir ISrople* 

Iy Saviour Jesus, Who hast united us in so 
indissoluble a tie by means of a great sacra- 
ment, maintain us in a spirit of union and 
concord, loving one another as Thou dost love the 



628 



Various Prayers. 



Church ; give us the spirit of patience and gentle- 
ness, peacefully to bear with each other's faults ; arm 
us with the spirit of prudence and holiness, so that 
we may always remain within the limits of our 
duties, and in no way offend Thee by any act op- 
posed to the profound respect due to Thy sacra- 
ment. Send us a spirit of prudent concern and 
forethought, that we may with justice and charity 
provide for the needs of our family. Preserve us 
from the spirit of the world and the love of its vani- 
ties, so that we may only seek to please Thee, our 
God, our Love, the true bond of our hearts. Inspire 
us with a true spirit of faith, so that our home may 
be a school of piety, and a sanctuary where all virtue 
may be found. Far from us, O God ! far from us the 
misfortune of being the cause of our children's ruin 
through our over-indulgence or our disedifying life. 
Far be from our home whatever could be a scandal 
or an occasion of sin. O Mary ! to thy maternal 
heart we recommend our children : be to them a 
Mother, and form their hearts to virtue. Tender 
Mother, may they be pious, charitable, and always 
Christian; may their lives, filled withgood works, be 
crowned by a holy death. O Mary, may we all .be 
reunited in heaven, there to contemplate thy glory, 
to celebrate thy goodness to us, and thy love, and to 
bless thee eternally with thy dear Son Jesus Christ. 
Amen. 

* Sprayer for tljt Wise of tfjose sntrustetr tottf) tge 
Htrucatton of YoutfK 

WW$M 0RT> > Thou hast said that those who guide 
lllfi others in the ways of wisdom shall shine 
!S like stars to all eternity ; to encourage me 
still further, Thou hast said : " Suffer little children 
to come to Me" (Matt. xix. 14). " They who re- 
ceive them, and do good to them, receive Me" 



Various Prayers. 



62Q 



(Matt. x. 40), do good to Me. How highly then 
should I prize my present state of life ! Lord Jesus, 
give me patience to support the imperfections of 
those Thou hast entrusted to me, so that I may see 
in these imperfections a reason for compassion 
rather than anger. Give me the necessary prudence 
for discerning dispositions, and show me the means 
I should take to correct and improve them. Give 
me that kindness, impregnated with justice, which 
has no favoritism, and gives preference only to the 
poorest and least endowed. Give me that gravity 
tempered with sweetness which inspires respect and 
gains hearts. May I be firm with the disobedient, 
but not hard, and may I be indulgent towards all, 
but not weak. Above all, O Lord ! while teaching 
human learning may I not forget to inspire virtue 
and love of Thee in the hearts of the young, so that 
I may prepare Thee as many elect as Thou givest me 
pupils. O Mary, my tender Motherland theirs, St. 
Joseph, our protector, all ye holy instructors of 
childhood and youth, and^ye too, ye guardian angels 
of those precious souls! obtain me the grace of show- 
ing myself worthy of my sublime vocation, and of 
sanctifying myself in it to the glory of Our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Amen. 

drawer in lUbcrscs of JFortune, tu Calamities an*r 
fHtsfortunes. 

v God ! when Thou art most favorable to us 
Thou appearest to treat us with most rigor ; 
but Thou visitest us so that we may have 
true repentance of our sins. With King David we 
will say : " Come to my help in my day of trouble." 
Lord, grant that the misfortune now afflicting us 
may open our eyes and make us abandon sin, since, 
if we do not leave off sinning, w r e shall meet with 
endless chastisement and eternal damnation. 




630 



Various Prayers. 



I pray Thee, O my God ! to punish me in this life, 
for, if Thou sparest me here, I shall be chastised in 
the other life. Father, 1 acknowledge my fault ; I 
have sinned in offending a Father Who loves me so 
well ; I do not any longer deserve to be called Thy 
son ; forgive me, and receive me at least as Thy ser- 
vant; restore me to Thy favor, and then punish me 
as Thou wilt. 

The chastisement I am meeting with, O my God ! 
is but little for my sins ; I ought to be in hell, aban- 
doned by the whole world, and in despair. Lord, I 
thank Thee that Thou art calling me to Thee by 
means of this present affliction. 

Thou art just, O Lord ! and Thou hast reason to 
punish us. We accept the afflictions Thou art send- 
ing us ; give us the strength to bear them patiently. 

O Mother of God ! since thou art the protectress 
of the unfortunate, do thou exercise thy functions ; 
help me, for if thou helpest me not I shall be lost. 

Jlrager to ofctatu Uarrtous traces* 

{Taken in part from St. Tho7iias Aquinas.) 
fcg»jg||RANT me, O my God ! to know Thy will, and 



to accomplish it perfectly to Thy glory. Give 



me tne s t ren gth not to fail in prosperity, by 
exalting myself presumptuously ; nor to fail in ad- 
versity, by being cast down by it. Let me feel joy or 
sorrow at nothing else but at what leads me to Thee 
or separates me from Thee. Let me not desire to 
please nor fear to displease any but Thee. Let all 
the goods of the world be vile to me, and all Thy 
gifts dear to me, for the love of Thee ; and be Thou 
dear to me above everything. Let all joy without 
Thee be tediousness to me, and let every fatigue 
which is for Thee be pleasing to me, so that outside 
of Thee I may wish for nothing. Grant that to Thee 
I may always direct all my thoughts and all my 




Various Prayers. 



631 



affections. Make me, O Lord ! obedient without 
reply, poor without desire, chaste without a spot, 
patient without murmur, humble without simulation, 
joyous without dissipation, fearful without diffidence, 
diligent without solicitude, prudent without du- 
plicity. Grant me the ability to do good without 
presumption, to reprove without becoming haughty, 
to t edify my neighbor by my example without dis- 
simulation. Give me a watchful heart, that vain 
thoughts may not carry me away from Thee ; a 
noble heart, that may not be bowed down by un- 
worthy affections ; a right heart, that may not be 
moved by perverse intentions ; a heart strong in 
tribulations, free from any earthly attachment. 
Grant that I may be enlightened in knowing Thee, 
diligent in seeking Thee, wise in finding Thee, per- 
severing in pleasing Thee, grateful in thanking Thee. 
Finally, give me strength in this life to embrace 
every punishment due to my sins, and then, in the 
next, the grace forever of seeing Thee, possessing 
Thee, and loving Thee, face to face. Amen. 

O Mary, my Queen, my Hope, and my Mother ! I 
love thee, I confide in thee. I beseech thee by the 
love of Jesus, by the joy thou didst feel in becoming 
His Mother, and by the sorrow thou didst feel at 
His death, obtain of God for me a great sorrow for 
my sins and the pardon of them, perseverance in a 
good life, a pure love towards God, with a perfect 
conformity to His holy will. Thou art the refuge of 
sinners : thou art then my refuge. To thee I recom- 
mend my soul and my eternal salvation. Receive 
me as thy servant, and as such protect me always, 
and specially at the time of my death. Thou with 
thy powerful intercession must save me : this is my 
hope ; thus may it be. Amen. 



632 



Various Prayers. 



& WinVotxual JPragn: (or all 2Tl)tttQs necessary U 
Salbatton* 

fESS® my God ! I believe in Thee : do Thou 
\jguj strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in 
Thee: do Thou secure them. I love Thee: 
teach me to love Thee daily more and more. I am 
sorry that I have offended Thee : do Thou increase 
my sorrow. • 

I adore Thee as my first beginning; I aspire after 
Thee as my last end. I give Thee thanks as my 
constant benefactor ; I call upon Thee as my sov- 
ereign protector. 

Vouchsafe, O my God ! to conduct me by Thy wis- 
dom, to restrain me by Thy justice, to comfort me 
by Thy mercy, to defend me by Thy power. 

To Thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, 
words, actions, and sufferings ; that henceforward I 
may think of Thee, speak of Thee, refer all my 
actions to Thy greater glory, and suffer willingly 
whatever Thou shalt appoint. 

Lord, I desire that in all things Thy will may be 
done, because it is Thy will, and in the manner that 
Thou wiliest. 

I beg of Thee to enlighten my understanding, to 
inflame my will, to purify my body, and to sanctify 
my soul. 

Give me strength, O my God ! to expiate my of- 
fences, to overcome my temptations, to subdue my 
passions, and to acquire the virtues proper for my 
state.' 

Fill my heart with tender affection for Thy good- 
ness, hatred of my faults, love of my neighbor, and 
contempt of the world. 

Let me always remember to be submissive to my 
superiors, condescending to my inferiors, faithful to 
my friends, and charitable to my enemies. 

Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortification, 



Various Prayers. 



633 



avarice by alms-deeds, anger by meekness, and te- 
pidity by devotion. 

O my God ! make me prudent in my undertakings, 
courageous in dangers, patient in affliction, and 
humble in prosperity. 

Grant that I may be ever attentive at my prayers, 
temperate at my meals, diligent in my employments, 
and constant in my resolutions. 

Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, my 
exterior modest, my conversation edifying, and my 
comportment regular. 

Assist me, that I may continually labor to over- 
come nature, to correspond with Thy grace, to keep 
Thy commandments, and to work out my salvation. 

Discover to me, O my God ! the nothingness of this 
world, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, 
and the length of eternity. 

Grant that I may prepare for death ; that I may 
fear Thy judgments, that I may escape hell, and in 
the end obtain heaven ; through Jesus Christ my 
Lord. Amen. 

Prayer. 1 

^OOK down upon me, good and gentle Jesus, 
while before Thy face I humbly kneel, and 
with burning soul pray and beseech Thee to 
fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of faith, hope, 
and charity, true contrition for my sins, and a firm 
purpose of amendment ; the while I contemplate with 
great love and tender pity Thy five wounds, ponder- 
ing over them within me, whilst I call to mind the 
words which David, Thy prophet, said of Thee, my 
Jesus : "They pierced My hands and My feet; they 
numbered all My bones" (Ps. xxi. 17, 18). 



1 Plenary indulgence confirmed by Pius IX., July 31, 1858, for all 
who with a contrite heart shall say this prayer before a crucifix or 
representation of Christ crucified, after holy Communion, on the 
usual conditions. 



<$34 



Various Prayers. 



* drawers of tfje Messeir Clement f&arg fflofbtiutv* 

{Beatified January 29, 1888.) 
Offering. 

Jesus! I offer Thee Thine own Blood in ex- 
piation of my sins ; in Thine infinite merits 
I place all my hopes. Remember me, O 



Lord ! now and at the hour of my death. 

Praises. 

Hlessed and glorified be the hour when my 
Saviour became incarnate, the hour when He 
came into the world, the hour when He insti- 
tuted the Most Holy Sacrament, the hour when He 
died, the. hour when He was buried. 

Prayer to Our Saviour's Wounds. 

salute ye, O precious wounds of my Saviour 
Jesus Christ ! I salute ye in the omnipotence 
of the Father Who permitted you ; in the 
wisdom of the Son Who endured you ; in the clem- 
ency of the Holy Ghost Who in you and by you 
accomplished the work of our redemption. O holy 
Wounds! I recommend myself to you, I hide my- 
self in you, so that by you and in you I may be pre- 
served from all evil. 

Prayer to obtain a Good Death. 

Lord Jesus ! have pity on my poor soul, which 
Thou hast bought with Thy precious Blood, 
and save it at the hour of my death. Say to 
Thy Father when I shall be at the point of death : 
" Father, forgive him." Say to Thy Mother : " Be- 
hold thy son !" Say to St. Anne : " Behold an or- 
phan !" Say to my poor soul: "This day thou shalt 
be with Me in Paradise." " My God ! my God ! for* 
sake me not ;" grant me the one only thing necessary : 
grant me to end my life piously, by dying a holy 



Various Prayers, 



635 



death, and reposing in peace. " Into Thy hands I 
commend my spirit :" for Thou art our salvation, 
our redemption, and our resurrection ; in Thee and 
by Thee we shall be delivered. To Thee alone be 
glory, honor, thanksgiving; and adoration, world 
without end. Amen. 

Prayer to obtain Purity. 
""""OLY Mary, by thine Immaculate Conception, 
purify my heart, my soul, and my body, in 
the name of God the Father, Whose daugh- 
ter thou art ; in the name of God the Son, Whose 
Mother thou art; in the name of God the Holy 
Ghost, Whose Spouse thou art ; in the name of the 
Most Holy Trinity, of whom thou art and ever wilt 
be the chosen temple. 

Prayer to obtain Perseverance in the Faith. 

Father of Mercy ! Look on the face of Thy 
Christ, Who crieth loudly to Thee, and with 
tears pleadeth for His Spouse, our Mother, 
the Holy Church. O my Father ! look on this Bloody 
Sweat, this horrible Crown of Thorns, these Hands 
and Feet pierced with nails — all the Wounds of our 
Brother Jesus Christ. O my Father, listen to the 
groans of Thy well-beloved Son expiring on the 
cross. The heavens are shaken, the rocks are rent 
asunder, and wilt Thou not be entreated to show us 
mercy? Do Thou preserve in Thy holy faith those 
who confess Thy name with a sincere heart ; do 
Thou protect them against the false prophets that 
come in sheep's clothing whilst in reality they are 
ravening wolves. Confound their impious designs, 
O God of Mercy ! Grant to all believers the grace of 
loving Thee with a perfect love, and of accomplish- 
ing Thy commandments with, constancy unto death, 
so that they may praise and glorify Thee to all eter- 
nity. Amen, 




6 3 <5 



Various PraytrL 



* lions Bmres of t£e VtnnaMz 3Brotf)er &ctattr 

ttzz/j* <?/" his Beatificatio7i was introduced Sept. 17, 1847.) 

]y God ! I have the intention of offering Thee 
as many acts of love as were ever produced 
by the blessed Virgin and all the blessed 
spirits, as well as all the faithful on earth. I would 
wish to love Thee as much as Jesus Christ loved 
Thee. I would wish to renew these acts with every 
sigh of my heart I also offer similar aspirations to 
my Mother Mary. 

O my God ! would that I could gain Thee as many 
hearts as there are grains of sand in the sea and on 
the earth, leaves on the trees, plants in the fields, 
atoms in the air, stars in the heavens, rays in the 
sun and the moon. My God ! I would wish to be 
able to bring back to Thee all the sinners in the 
world. 

* JPratees to i&arg frg tf>t VtmvntU Januarutis 
Jftar# Sarnellu 1 

(The cause of his Beatification was introduced December 3, 
1874.) 

Mary, most holy Virgin, Mother of God and 
my Mother, happy art thou and blessed 
among women : Benedicta tu in mulieribus. 



Blessed from the very first moment of thine Im- 
maculate Conception ; blessed in thy birth ; blessed 
in thy presentation ; blessed in thy annunciation ; 
blessed when thou didst conceive and bear in thy 
purest womb the only Son of God ; blessed when 
thou didst bring Jesus into the world ; blessed when 
thou didst suckle Him ; blessed when thou didst pre- 

1 This prayer will give an idea of the unction that pervades the 
beautiful book entitled "The Greatness of the Mother of God," 
by the above-named Venerable J. M. Sarnelli. As yet there is no 
English translation, but Rev. F, Saintrain has translated it from the 
Italian into French. 



Various Prayers. 



637 



sent Him to be circumcised ; blessed when thou didst 
carry Him into Egypt ; blessed when, after having 
lost Him, thou didst carefully seek for Him ; blessed 
when thou didst wait on Him with thine own holy 
hands ; blessed when thou didst listen to His holy 
words and didst do His bidding; blessed when thou 
didst consent to His suffering for us; blessed when 
thou didst consent to His crucifixion ; blessed when 
thou didst offer Him to His Father, as a victim, to 
be put to death ; blessed when thou didst receive 
Him in thine arms after His death ; blessed when 
thou didst place Him in the sepulchre ; blessed when 
thou sawest Him risen from the dead ; blessed when 
thou sawest Him ascending unto heaven ; blessed 
when Thou didst receive Him in His Sacrament ; 
blessed when thou didst incite the apostles and dis- 
ciples to preach His holy law ; blessed when thou didst 
so zealously seek to procure Him honor; blessed so 
often as thou hast come to the aid of those who have 
had recourse to thee ; blessed in all the senses of thy 
holy body; blessed in all the powers of thy holy 
soul - ; blessed in every breath thou didst draw ; 
blessed in all thy holy life ; blessed in thy precious 
death ; blessed in thy glorious assumption ; blessed 
in thy solemn crowning in heaven ; blessed in thy 
glory ; blessed in time and blessed in eternity ; blessed 
by the Eternal Father, blessed by the Son, and blessed 
by the Holy Ghost ; blessed by the angels, blessed by 
the saints, blessed by the spirits, blessed by happy 
mortals ; blessed by past generations, by the present 
and the future ; blessed by me. Be blessed by all 
tongues, by all nations, by all kingdoms, by all the 
people of the earth. And with thee may Jesus, the 
fruit of thy womb, be blessed : Benedictus fructus 
ventris tui, Jesus. 

Most holy Virgin, think on me, poor sinner though 
I be ; obtain all graces for me, for thou canst do so. 
Make me begin to lead a holy life, so that I may end 



6 3 8 



Various Prayers, 



it by a precious death. And as I bless thy name on 
earth, O Mary ! do thou bless me from the heights 
of heaven with Jesus ; grant that one day I may 
praise, thank, and bless thee in paradise. Do this, 
O Mary, well-beloved Mother! for the honor of thy 
most holy name ; do this for the glory of thy great- 
ness and of that plenitude of grace which is thine. 
Hear my prayer, I pray thee, by all the love where- 
with thou lovest the Most Holy Trinity and thy Son 
Jesus ; I pray thee by all the love wherewith thou 
lovest the Church in heaven and on earth ; I pray 
thee by the immense love borne thee by God, the 
angels, the saints, and all thy faithful servants. Have 
pity on me, the least worthy of all mortals ; make 
me to love Jesus, and after Jesus, let me love nothing 
so much as thee; may I love thee with my whole 
heart and being, O sweet and amiable Mary. Ora pro 
nobis, fteccatoribus, mine et in hora mortis nostra?. 
Amen. 



A FEW SUGGESTIONS 



whereby the foregoing prayers may be made of 
greater utility for satisfying devotion at 
the various seasons of the year and 
on various special days. 

Table of Movable Feasts. 

PAGE 



Sunday in the Octave of the Epiphany: Feast of Jesus 

Found in the Temple 440 

Second Sunday after Epiphany: Feast of the Holy 

Name of Jesus 441 

Third Sunday after Epiphany 433 

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany 437 

Fifth Sunday after Epiphany 427 

Sixth Sunday after Epiphany 42S 

Septuagesima Sunday 598 

^Tuesday after Septuagesima: Feast of Our Saviour s 

Prayer in the Garden 446 

Sexagesima Sunday 599 

^Tuesday after Sexagesima : Feast of the Sufferings 

of Our Lord 442 

Quinquagesima Sunday 459 

Monday after Quinquagesima 468 

Tuesday after Quinquagesima 470 

Ash Wednesday 602 

Friday after Ash Wednesday: Feast of the Coronation 

of Our Loi'd 44 S 

First Week in Lent 606 

Friday in First Week : Feast of the Piercing of Our 

Lord ^ . ^. . 492 

Second Week in Lent 600 

Friday in Second Week : Feast of the Enshroudment 

of Our Lord. . . , 451 



* In some places the Friday. 
639 



640 Convenient Index to the foregoing Prayers, 

PAGE 

Third Week in Lent 606 

Friday in Third Week : Feast of the Wounds of Our 

Lord 454 

Fourth Week in Lent 616 

Friday in Fourth Week : Feast of the Precious Blood 

of Our Lord 453 

Fifth Week in Lent: Passion Week 442 

Friday in Passion Week : Feast of Our Lady of 

Sorrows 543 

Palm Sunday 446 

Monday in Holy Week 447 

Tuesday in Holy Week 448 

Wednesday in Holy Week 449 

Holy Thursday 445 

Good Friday 451 

Saturday in Holy Week 542 

Easter Week 601 

First Sunday after Easter: Low Sunday „ . . . 617 

Second Sunday after Easter : Feast of the Holy 

Sepulchre* 445 

Third Sunday after Easter : Patronage of St. Joseph, . 553 

Fourth Sunday after Easter 619 

Fifth Sunday after Easter 620 

Ascension Day (the Novena of the Holy Ghost com- 
mences) 515 

Whit-Sunday and during the Octave 493 

Trinity Sunday « 413 

Corpus Christi and during the Octave 473 

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 490 

First Sunday in June 488 

Second Sunday in June 487 

Third Sunday in June 4S6 

Fourth Sunday in June 230 

Thursday before the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual 

Help — First Day of Triduum 547 

Friday before the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual 

Help — Second Day of Triduum 547 

Saturday before the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual 

Help — Third Day of Triduum 438 



* In Diocese of Quebec, Feast 0/ the Holy Family, 



Convenient I?tdex to the foregoing Prayers. 641 

PAGE 

Sunday preceding June 24 : Feast of Our Lady of Per- 
petual Help 493 

First Sunday in July 445 

Second Sunday in July 624 

Third Sunday in July : Feast of the Most Holy Re- 
deemer. 441 

Fourth Sunday in July 630 

Fifth Sunday in July 626 

First Sunday in August 622 

Second Sunday in August 600 

Sunday in the Octave of the Assumption : Feast of St. 

Joachim 539, 540 

Sunday after the Octave of the Assumption : Feast of 

the Immaculate Heart of Mary 532 

Fifth Sunday in August 609 

First Sunday in September ; Feast of the Guardian 

Angels 560 

Friday before the Second Sunday in September (com- 
mences the Novena of Our Lady of Seven Dolors). 543 
Sunday in the Octave of the Nativity of Our Lady : 

Feast of the Holy Name of Mary 547 

Third Sunday in September : Feast of Our Lady of 

Seven Dolors 543 

Fourth Sunday in September 610 

Fifth Sunday in September 615 

First Sunday in October : Feast of the Holy Rosary. . . 536 
Second Sunday in October : Feast of the Mate?'?iity of 

the Blessed Virgin Mary 527 

Third Sunday in October : Feast of the Purity of 

Mary 534 

Fourth Sunday in October : Feast of the Holy Relics. . 608 

Fifth Sunday in October 615 

Sunday in the Octave of All Saints : Feast of Our Lady 

f Su jfrage 581 

Second Sunday in November : Feast of the Patronage 

Mr of the B. V. M* 525 

Third Sunday in November 611 

Fourth Sunday in November 614 

First Sunday in Advent 416 



* In Province of Quebec, Fourth Sunday in October. 



642 Convenient Index to the foregoing Prayers. 



PAGE 

Second Sunday in Advent 419 

Third Sunday in Advent 420 

Fourth Sunday in Advent 421 

Prayers to Our Lord Jesus Christ for each Day of the 
Month : 



First Day 413 

Second Day 380 

Third Day 420 

Fourth Day 371 

Fifth Day 421 

Sixth Day 382 

Seventh Day 425 

Eighth Day 383 

Ninth Day. 427 

Tenth Day 384 

Eleventh Day 428 

Twelfth Day 429 

Thirteenth Day 431 

Fourteenth Day 432 

Fifteenth Day 433 

Sixteenth Day 434 



Seventeenth Day 435 

Eighteenth Day 436 

Nineteenth Day 437 

Twentieth Day 438 

Twenty-first Day 440 

Twenty-second Day... 441 

Twenty-third Day 385 

Twenty-fourth Day. . . . 386 

Twenty-fifth Day 387 

Twenty-sixth Day 389 

Twenty-seventh Day. . . 390 

Twenty-eighth Day. . . . 391 

Twenty-ninth Day..... 442 

Thirtieth Day 454 

Thirty-first Day 419 



Prayers in honor of the Passion for each Day of the Week: 

Thursday 448 

Friday 449 



Sunday 441 

Monday 445 

Tuesday 446 

Wednesday 447 



Saturday 451 



Prayers to the Blessed Sacrament for each Day of the 
Week, the Month, during an Octave or a Novena. 
See p. 473. 

Prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus for each Day in the 
Week : 



Sunday 488 

Monday 492 

Tuesday 487 

Wednesday 489 



Thursday 486 

Friday 449 

Saturday 490 



Convenient hid ex to the foregoing Prayers. 643 



Novena to the Sacred Heart : 

First Day 484 

Second Day 485 

Third Day 486 

Fourth Day 487 

Fifth Day 4S8 



Sixth Day 489 

Seventh Day 490 

Eighth Day 491 

Ninth Day 492 



Prayers to the Holy Ghost. See p. 493. 
Prayers to Mary for each Day of the Week : 

Sunday 134 ; Thursday 160 



Monday 141 

Tuesday 144 

Wednesday 151 



Friday 171 

Saturday 179 



Prayers to Mary for each Day of the Month or for the 
Month of Mary : 



First Day 516 

Second Dav. 517 

Third Day! 518 

Fourth Day 519 

Fifth Day 520 

Sixth Day 521 

Seventh Day 522 

Eighth Day 523 

Ninth Day 524 

Tenth Day 525 

Eleventh Day 526 

Twelfth Day 527 

Thirteenth Day 528 

Fourteenth Day 529 

Fifteenth Day 530 

Sixteenth Day 531 



Seventeenth Day 532 

Eighteenth Day 534 

Nineteenth Day 535 

Twentieth Day 536 

Twenty-first Day 538 

Twenty-second Day.., 539 

Twenty-third Day 540 

Twenty-fourth Day. . . . 540 

Twenty -fifth Day 542 

Twenty-sixth Day 134 

Twenty-seventh Day . . 547 

Twenty-eighth Day ... 144 

Twenty-ninth Day 151 

Thirtieth Day 179 

Thirty-first Day 547 



Litanies for each Day of the Week : 



Sunday 415 

Monday 513 

Tuesday 561 

Wednesday 556 



Thursday 4Sr 

Friday 456 

Saturday 550 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Translator's Preface 7 

Pray, Pray Always 9 

Prayer: Incarnate Word 18 

Table of Movable Feasts ig 

Spiritual Calendar 20 

The Lord's Prayer 51 

The Angelical Salutation 51 

The Apostles' Creed 51 

The Confiteor 51 

Salve Regina 52 

Regina Cceli 52 

The Memorare 53 

Grace before Meat 53 

Grace after Meat 53 

Daily Act of Offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. .. 54 

FIRST PART. 

DAILY EXERCISES. 

1. On rising 55 

2. Morning Prayers 55 

The Litany of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. . . 57 

The Angelus 59 

3. Mental Prayer 60 

4. Prayer to Avoid Sin 61 

The Means of Persevering in the Grace of God. 62 

5. The Holy Mass 63 

6. Acts to be made during the day 63 

645 



6 4 6 



Contents, 



PAGE 



7. The Exercise of The Way of the Cross 64 

8. Spiritual Reading 73 

9. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and to the Blessed 

Virgin 73 

10. The Rosary, or Beads 74 

11. Night Prayers 75 

The Litany of the Blessed Virgin 77 

Prayers to Our Lady of Perpetual Help 79 

Prayer for a Good Death 80 

Prayer before going to Bed 80 

12. The Way to Converse Always and Familiarly with 81 

God 81 

SECOND PART. 

PIOUS EXERCISES FOR EVERY WEEK. 

1. Devotions for Each Day of the Week 106 

Sunday — Consecrated to the Blessed Trinity and 

to our Holy Patron 106 

Prayers during Mass 106 

Psalms for Vespers 120 

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin to obtain the Par- 
don of our Sins 134 

Prayer to our Holy Patron 135 

Monday — Consecrated to the Holy Ghost, and 

the Commemoration of the Dead 136 

Prayers during Mass for the Souls in Purgatory. 136 

Prayer to Mary to obtain Perseverance 141 

Tuesday — Consecrated to the Holy Angels 142 

Excellent manner of Hearing Mass 142 

Prayer to Mary to obtain a Good Death 144 

Wednesday — Consecrated to St. Joseph 145 

Prayers during Mass to ask God for His grace. 145 

Prayer to Mary to be preserved from Hell 151 

Thursday — Consecrated to the Blessed Sacra- 
ment 152 

Prayers during Mass to obtain the great gift of 

Divine Love 152 

Prayer to Mary to obtain Paradise 160 



Contents. 647 

PAGE 

Friday — Consecrated to the Passion and Sacred 

Heart of Jesus 161 

Prayers during Mass to obtain the Remission of 

our Sins 161 

Steps of the Passion 169 

Prayer to Mary to obtain Love of Jesus and of 

Mary 171 

Saturday — Consecrated to Our Lady of Perpetual 

Help 172 

Prayers during Mass to obtain a Good Death. . 172 
Little Beads of the Immaculate Conception. . . . 179 

Prayer to Mary to obtain her Protection 179 

Ejaculations to Mary 1S0 

Invocations to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. . . 181 

2. Devotions for Confession . , 183 

Prayer for the Examination of Conscience 184 

Principal Points of Examination for those who 

but seldom go to Confession 185 

Motives of Contrition 1S6 

Prayer after Confession 189 

The Penitential Psalms 189 

3. Exercises for Holy Communion 198 

First Exercise 198 

Second Exercise 210 

Third Exercise 214 

Fourth Exercise 220 

Fifth Exercise 227 

Sixth Exercise 235 

Seventh Exercise 242 

Eighth Exercise 248 

Loving Aspirations to Jesus in the Blessed Sacra- 
ment 252 

Before Communion 252 

After Communion. 261 

Sighs of Love towards God for Holy Communion, 
Meditation, and Visits to the Blessed Sacra- 
ment 271 



6 4 8 



Contents. 



THIRD PART. 

EXERCISES FOR EACH MONTH. 

PAGE 

1. Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed 



Virgin for Every Day in the Month 277 

2. Visits to St. Joseph for Every Day of the Month. . 341 

3. Prayers to obtain the Virtue of the Month 354 

January — Faith 354 

February — Hope 356 

March — Love of God 358 

April — Charity to our Neighbor 360 

May — Detachment 362 

June — Purity 364 

July — Obedience 366 

August — Humility 369 

September — Mortification 370 

October — Recollection 371 

November — Love of Prayer 372 

December — Patience 373 

4. The First Friday of the Month, consecrated to the 

Sacred Heart 375 

(See also Devotions to the Sacred Heart, Part IV. 
Section II. § 5, page 484.) 

5. The Twenty-fifth Day of Each Month consecrated 

to the Infant Jesus 377 j 

The Steps of Our Saviour's Childhood 377 

January 25th — To Jesus Object of our Faith .... 380 

February 25th — To Jesus our Hope 381 

March 25th — To Jesus King of Love 382 

April 25th — To Jesus Most Charitable 383 

May 25th— To Jesus in Poverty 384 

June 25th — To Jesus Infinitely Pure 385 

July 25th — To Jesus Obedient 386 

August 25th — To Jesus Most Humble 387 

September 25th — To Jesus a Model of Mortifica- 
tion 389 

October 25th — To Jesus in Solitude 390 

November 25th — To Jesus Praying 391 



Contents. 



649 



PAGE 



6. Exercises for the Fourth Sunday in the Month 

consecrated to the Preparation for Death 392 

1. He that Loves God must Love and not Abhor 

Death 392 

2. Protestation for a Happy Death 394 

3. The words of a dying man to Jesus Crucified. . . 396 

4. Acts to be frequently made during Life and at 

the Time of Death 398 

5. Ejaculations to be used in preparation for a Good 

Death 401 

7. Pious Exercises for the Monthly Retreat 406 

1. Rule of Life 406 

2. Maxims for the Direction of a Soul that desires 

to attain Perfection in the Love or God 407 

3. Thoughts and Ejaculations 410 

FOURTH PART. 

DEVOTIONS FOR THE DIFFERENT SEASONS OF THE YEAR. 

1. Devotion to the Holy Trinity ... . 413 

v Invocation of the Most Holy Trinity on making 

the sign of the Cross 413 

Praises in honor of the Most Holy Trinity 413 

Angelic Trisagion 414 

Little Chaplet of the Blessed Trinity, in honor of 

the Blessed Virgin 414 

Litany of the Love of God 415 

2. Devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ 416 

Devotion to the Infant Jesus 416 

Chaplet in honor of the Incarnate Word 416 

Prayers to the Infant Jesus 418 

To Jesus coming into this world to accomplish 

His Father's will 418 

To Jesus all ours 419 

To Jesus afflicted at the sight of our sins 420 

To Jesus too little loved 421 

To Jesus, about to be born 423 



o Contents, 

PAGE 

To Jesus newly born 424 

To Jesus become a Child out of love for us. . . . 425 

To the Infant Jesus asking for our heart 427 

Offering of the merits of the Infant Jesus 428 

To Jesus wrapped in swaddling-clothes. 429 

To Jesus taking some milk 430 

To Jesus sleeping 431 

To Jesus weeping in the stable 432 

To Jesus adored by the Wise Men 433 

To Jesus fleeing into Egypt 434 

To Jesus dwelling in exile 435 

To Jesus returning into Palestine 436 

To Jesus increasing in age 437 

To Jesus working for His daily bread 438 

To Jesus lost in the Temple 440 

Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus 441 

Devotion to the Passion 442 

Prayers to Jesus by the merit of each particular 

pain which He suffered in His Passion 442 

To Jesus our Good Shepherd 445 

To Jesus in the Garden of Olives 446 

To Jesus being scourged 447 

To Jesus crowned with thorns 448 

To Jesus carrying His Cross ,449 

To Jesus nailed to the Cross 451 

To Jesus dead on the Cross 451 

Petitions to Jesus Crucified 452 

Prayer in honor of the Precious Blood 453 

Prayer in honor of the Five Wounds 453 

Prayer before a Crucifix 454 

Little Chaplet of the Five Wounds of Jesus 

Crucified 454 

Offering (indulgenced) 454 

Litany of the Passion 456 

Devotion to the Blessed Sacrament 459 

Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament 459 

Prayers for the Hour of Adoration 459 

Considerations for the Hour of Adoration 463 

Sentiments of Love towards Jesus Christ in 
the Blessed Eucharist 473 



Contents, 651 

PAGE 

Sentiments of a Religious before the Blessed 

Sacrament 480 

Litany of the Blessed Sacrament 481 

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus 484 

To the Heart of the Infant Jesus 484 

To the Heart of Jesus during His Passion. . . . 485 
To the Heart of Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist 486 

To the Merciful Heart of Jesus 487 

To the Amiable Heart of Jesus 488 

To the Faithful Heart of Jesus 489 

Consecration to the Heart of Jesus 490 

Another Consecration to the Heart of Jesus.. . 491 

Act of Reparation to the Heart of Jesus 492 

Sentiments and Tender Affections for the Heart 

of Jesus 492 

The First Friday in the Month 375 

Litany of the Heart of Jesus 375 

3. Devotions to the Holy Ghost 493 

Humble Supplication to the Holy Ghost 493 

Prayer to obtain the seven gifts of the Holy 

Ghost 494 

Meditations on the Holy Ghost 496 

Litany of the Holy Ghost 513 

Novena of the Holy Ghost 515 

4. Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary 516 

Prayers to Mary 516 

To Mary, the most merciful of Queens 516 

To Mary, the tenderest of Mothers 517 

To Mary, Ravisher of Hearts 51S 

To Mary, Mother of Mercy 519 

To Mary, Refuge of Sinners 520 

To Mary, our only Hope after God 521 

To Mary, our Amiable Benefactress.. 522 

To Mary, the Distributor of Graces 523 

To Mary, our All-powerful Advocate 524 

To Mary, Help of those who call on her 525 

To Mary, Advocate of the Unfortunate 526 

To Mary, our Certain Defender 527 

To Mary, Reconciler of Sinners 528 

To Mary, the Most Amiable of Creatures 529 



Contents. 



PAGE 



To Mary, Queen of Paradise 530 

Prayer to Mary for acquiring virtues 531 

Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary 532 

Prayer of a Religious to Mary 533 

Feasts of Mary 534 

Novena of the Immaculate Conception 534 

Novena of the Purification 535 

Novena of the Annunciation 536 

Novena of the Visitation 538 

Novena of the Assumption 539 

Novena of the Nativity 540 

Novena of the Presentation s 540 

Month of Mary 541 

Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows 542 

Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows 542 

Little Rosary in honor of the Seven Dolors of 

Mary 543 

Seven Indulgenced "Hail Marys" in honor of 

Our Lady of Sorrows 543 

Novena to the Mother of Sorrows 543 

Devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help 547 

Indulgenced Prayer to the Holy Name of Mary 547 

Dedication of one's self to Mary 547 

Dedication of a family to Mary 548 

Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help 549 

Pious Invocations to Our Lady of Perpetual 

Help 550 

Devotion to St.. Joseph 553 

Visits to St. Joseph for every day of the month. . 341 

The Seven Sorrows and the Seven Joys 553 

The Seven Sundays consecrated to St. Joseph. . . 556 

Litany of St. Joseph 556 

Prayer to St. Joseph, called the "Efficacious 

Prayer" 557 

Novena to St. Joseph 557 

Memorare of St. Joseph 557 

Ave Joseph 558 

Prayer to St. Joseph to obtain the Grace of 

Sanctification 558 

Prayer by the Blessed Clement Mary Hofbauer.. 558 



Contents. 653 

PAGE 

6. Devotion to the Holy Angels... 559 

Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel 559 

Practices of Piety in honor of St. Michael 559 

Prayer to our Angel Guardian 560 

Litany of the Angel Guardian 561 

Indulgenced Prayer to our Guardian Angel 562 

7. Devotion to the Saints 562 

Litany of the Saints 562 

Prayer to the Holy Apostles 569 

Prayer to the Holy Martyrs 569 

Prayer to the Holy Confessors 569 

Prayer to the Holy Virgin Saints 570 

Prayer to the Holy Widows 570 

Prayer to St. Joachim 571 

Prayer to St. Anne 571 

Prayer to St. Anne to obtain some special favor. 571 

Prayer to St. Francis de Sales 571 

Litany of St. Anne 572 

Prayer to St. Anne 573 

Devotion to St. Alphonsus 574 

Prayer to St. Alphonsus 574 

Litany of St. Alphonsus 574 

Prayers to St. Alphonsus to obtain the Graces 

necessary for Salvation 576 

Devotion to St. Teresa 578 

Prayer to St. Teresa 578 

Little Chaplet in honor of St. Teresa 578 

8. Devotion to the Souls in Purgatory 581 

Prayers to Jesus Christ for the Holy Souls, 
through the pains which He suffered during His 

Passion 581 

Novena for the Souls in Purgatory 582 

Short Indulgenced Prayers applicable to the Souls 
in Purgatory 587 



654 



Contents. 



FIFTH PARI 

VARIOUS PRAYERS. 

PAGE 

Prayer of a Child who wishes to make a good First 

Communion 590 

Prayer for the Use of Pupils or Scholars , 591 

Prayer before Study or Instruction 592 

Prayer to know our Vocation 592 

Prayer to Mary for our Vocation 592 

Prayer when the Vocation is decided 595 

Prayer of a Soul called to the Religious State 593 

Another Prayer 594 

Prayer for Priests and those aspiring to the Priest- 
hood 595 

Prayer of a Soul in the State of Sin 596 

Prayer of a Soul enslaved by bad habits 597 

Sentiments of a Penitent Soul 598 

Prayer of a Soul that would return to its God 599 

Sentiments of a Heart which is grateful for God's 

Mercies 600 

Sentiments of a Soul resolved never again to leave 

God 601 

Prayer to avoid Hell 602 

Prayers to obtain Paradise 602 

Sighs for our Heavenly Home 603 

Prayer to avoid Lukewarmness 605 

Another Prayer 606 

Prayer to obtain a Victory over Temptations 606 

Prayer for the Good Employment of our Time 607 

Prayer to obtain the Grace of Governing our Tongue. 608 
Prayer of a Soul that desires its own Sanctification . . . 608 

Prayer to attain to the Science of the Saints 609 

Prayer to obtain the Grace of always acting with a 

Good Intention 610 

Prayer to attain to all Holy Virtues 610 

Consecration of ourselves to Our Lord 611 

A Shorter Form of the same 612 

Prayer to avoid all Self-seeking in our Piety 612 

Prayer that we may love God as perfectly as possible. 612 

Offering of our Will to God 613 

Act of Conformity with the Will of God 614 



Contents. 655 

PAGE 

Prayer in Time of Trouble 615 

Prayer for obtaining the Grace of bearing Humilia- 
tions patiently .. , 616 

Prayer of a Virgin living in the world or in the clois- 
ter 616 

A Prayer to obtain Final Perseverance 617 

A shorter form of the same Prayer, to be said fre- 
quently 618 

Prayer to be preserved from Sudden and Unforeseen 

Death 618 

Renewal of the Baptismal Vows 619 

Prayer for our Holy Father the Pope 620 

Prayer for the Holy Church 620 

A Shorter Prayer for the Church 621 

Prayer to Mary for the Holy Church 621 

Prayer for our Country 622 

Prayer for Peace 622 

Prayer for the Religious Orders 623 

Prayer for Priests 623 

Divine Praises in reparation of Blasphemy 624 

Prayer for the Agonizing 624 

Prayer for the Conversion of Heretics, Infidels, and 

Sinners 625 

Prayer for the Conversion of Unbelievers 626 

Prayer to Mary for the Extirpation of the Habit of 

Reading Bad Books 627 

Prayer for our Parents 627 

Prayer for Married People 627 

Prayer for the use of those entrusted with the Educa- 
tion of Youth 62S 

Prayer in Reverses of Fortune, in Calamities, and Mis- 
fortunes 629 

Prayer to obtain Various Graces .... 630 

Universal Prayer for all Things necessary for Salva- 
tion 632 

Indulgenced Prayer for after Communion 633 

Prayers by the Blessed Clement Mary Hofbauer 634 

Pious Desires by the Venerable Brother Gerard Ma- 

jella 636 

Praises to Mary by the Venerable Father Januarius 
Mary Sarnelli 636 



INDEX. 



Act of Adoration, 183, 459 
Act of Confidence, 301, 401 
Act of Contrition, 64, 76, 

186, 187, 188, 203, 460 
Act, Daily, of Offering to the 

Sacred Heart of Jesus, 54 
Act of Desire, 404 
Act of Faith, 76, 200, 205, 

354, 459 
Act of Hope, 76, 460 
Act of Humility, 60, 202 
Act of Love, 76, 201, 402, 

403, 460 
Act of Oblation, 207 
Act of Petition for Light, 61, 

208. 

Act of Resignation, 374 
Act of Thanksgiving, 206, 
461 

Act of Welcome, 205 

Acts to be made during the 
day, 63, 145 

Acts to be frequently made 
during life and at the time 
of death, 398 

Adoration, Hour of, 459 

Affections, Detachment from 
earthly, 362 

Afflictions, to ask for pa- 
tience under, 543, 615 

Angelical Salutation, 51 

Angelus, 59 

656 



Annunciation, Feast of the, 
536 

Apostles' Creed, 51 
Aspirations of Love to Jesus, 
252 

Assumption, Feast of the, 

539 
Beads, 74 

Beads, Little, of the Im- 
maculate Conception, 179 
Beati quorum, 190 
Beatus Vir, 123 
Blasphemy, Reparation for, 
624 

Blessed Sacrament, Devo- 
tion to, 459 
Calendar of Saints, 20 
Chaplet — to the Holy Trin- 
ity in honor of Mary, 414 
— of the Incarnate Wor-d, 
416 — of the Five Wounds, 
454 — of the Seven Dolors 
of Mary, 543— of St. Te- 
resa, 578 
Charity towards our Neigh- 
bor, 360, 383, 462 
Communion — Acts after, 
205, 212, 215, 224, 231, 239, 
24^ — \cts before, 200,^10, 
214.220, 227,235, 242 — Ex- 
ercises for, 198 — Spirit- 
ual, 119, 159, 177, 278— 



Index 



6 57 



Thanksgiving after, 204, 
250 

Confession — Devotions for. 
1S3 — Prayers after. 1S7 — 
— Prayers before, 1S3 

Confitebor, 121 

Confiteor, 51 

Conscience, Examination of, 

183 

Consecration of ourselves to 
Our Lord. 462, 611 — to the 
Sacred Heart, 490, 491 — 
to the B. V. Mary, 547 — 
of our family to Mary, 
54S — to St. Joseph, 371 

Conversing familiarly with 
God, way of, Si 

Cross, Our Saviour on the. 
451, 452 

Crown of Thorns of Our 
Saviour, 44S 

Daily Exercises, 55 

Death — Prayer for a gocd, 
So, 144, 172. 61S — Prep- 
aration for, 392 — Protes- 
tation for a good, 394 

De Profundis, 196 

Desires, Pious, of the Yen. 
Gerard Magella, 636 

Detachment, 362, 384 

Dixit Dominus. 120 

Domine exaudi, 195. 197 

Domine, ne in furore, 1S9. 
191 

Ejaculations, 1S0, 271, 401, 
410 

Faith, 354, 3S0 

Fidelity, Promise of, to 

Jesus our King, 366 
Fourth Sunday in the Month, 

Exercises for, 392 



Friday, First, of the Month, 
375 

Gifts of the Holy Ghost. 
494 

Good Shepherd. 445 
Grace after Meat, 53 
Grace before Meat, 53 
Grace of God, Means of 

Preserving the, 62. 
Graces — Mass to obtain, 145 

— Prayers to obtain, 147. 

149. 576, 630 
Heart, Immaculate, of Mary, 

532 

Heart, Sacred, of Jesus, 375, 
484 

Hope, 356, 331, 401 
1 Humiliations, 369, 3S7, 616 
Humility, 369, 3S7 
Immaculate Conception, 179 
Indulgences, 587 
In exitu, 125 

Infant Jesus, 377, 416, 41S, 
4S4 

Invocations to Our Lady of 
Perpetual Help, 1S1 

Jesus — Infant. 377. 416, 413, 
4S4 — Suffering, 161, 169, 
442. 4S5 — in the Blessed 
Sacrament. 152, 459, 473, 
480, 4S6 — Petitions to. 452 
— Words of a dying man 
to, 396 

Joseph, St., 145. 341, 553 

"Lsetatus sum, 128 

Lauda Jerusalem, 132 

Laudate Dominum, 128 

Laudate Pueri, 124 

Litanies — of St. Alphonsus, 
574 — of the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, 4S1 — of the B. V. 



658 



Index, 



Mary, 77 — of the Guard- 
ian Angel, 561 — of the 
Holy Ghost, 513 — of the 
Holy Name of Jesus, 57 
— of St. Joseph, 556 — of 
the Love of God, 415 — of 
the Passion, 456 — of the 
Sacred Heart, 375 — of the 
Saints, 562 
Lord's Prayer, The, 51 
Love of God, 152, 171, 358, 

382, 392, 496, 612 
Love towards God, Sighs of, 
271 

Magi, Jesus adored by the, 

443- 

Magnificat, 133 

Mary — Ejaculations to, 180 
— Feasts of, 534 — Little 
Chaplet of, 414 — Our Lady 
of Perpetual Help, 79, 
172, 181, 547, 550 — Month 
of, 541 — Sorrows of, 542 
— Prayers to, 134, 141, 

144, 151, 160, 171, 179, 
5i6 

Masses, 63, 106, 136, 142, 

145, 152, 161, 172 
Maxims for attaining Per- 
fection, 407 

Memento Domine David, 
130 

Memorare, The, 53 

Mental Prayer, 60 

Mercies of God, Sentiments 

of a heart that is grateful 

for, 600 
Michael, St., Practices in 

honor of, 559 
Miserere, 192 
Morning Prayers, 55 



Mortification, 370, 389 

Movable Feasts, 19 

Name of Jesus, 441 

Name of Mary, 547 

Nativity of^Mary, 540 

Night Prayers, 75 

Nisi Dominus, 129 

Novenas — Holy Ghost, 515 
— Feasts of Mary, 534 — 
Our Lady of Sorrows, 543 
— Our Lady of Perpetual 
Help, 549 — St. Joseph, 
557 — for the Souls in 
Purgatory, 582 

Obedience, 366, 386 

Offering of Our Saviour's 
merits, 428, 454 

Offering of our will, 613 

Paradise, 160, 404, 602, 603 

Passion of Our Saviour, 161, 
169, 442, 485 

Patience, 373, 543 

Penitent Soul, Prayers of a, 
598 

Perseverance, 141, 617 
Petitions to the Heart of 

Jesus, 148 
Pleasures, Detachmentfrom, 

363 

Poverty, 384 
Praises to Mary, 636 
Pray, Pray always, 9 
Prayer before the Crucifix, 

368, 633 
Prayer before going to bed, 

80 

Prayer before study or in- 
struction, 592 

Prayer for all the things nee* 
essary for salvation, 632 

Prayer for the agonizing, 62^, 



Index. 



659 



Prayer for confidence, 356 
Prayer for the Conversion of 

Infidels and Heretics, 625 
Prayer for the Conversion 

of Unbelievers, 626 
Prayer for the extirpation of 

the habit of reading bad 

books, 627 
Prayer for a good death, 80, 

144, 172, 618 
Prayer for the good employ- 
ment of time, 607 
Prayer for the Holy Church, 

79, 620, 621 
Praver for the Holy Souls, 

581 

Prayer for married people, 
627 

Prayer for our country, 622 
Prayer for our neighbor, 

360, 462 
Prayer for our parents, 627 
Prayer for patience, 373 
Prayer for peace, 622 
Prayer for the Pope, 620 
Prayer for priests, 623 
Prayer for priests and those 

aspiring to the priesthood, 

695 

Prayers for religious, 480, 

533, 593- 616 
Prayer for Religious Orders, 

623 

Prayer for those entrusted 
with the education of 
youth, 628 

Prayer for the use of pupils 
or scholars, 591 

Prayer of a child who wishes 
to make a good first Com- 
munion, 590 



Prayer of a soul called to 
the religious state, 593, 
594 

Prayer of a soul enslaved by 
bad habits, 597 

Prayer of a soul in the state 
of sin, 596 

Prayer of a soul that desire's 
its own sanctification, 6o3 

Prayer of a soul that would 
return to its God, 599 

Prayer of a virgin living in 
the world or in the clois- 
ter, 616 

Prayer of Clement Mary 
Hofbauer, 634 

Prayer of St. Ignatius, 209 

Prayer in honor of the Pre- 
cious Blood, ,453 

Prayer in time of scruples, 
368 

Prayer in time of trouble, 615 
Prayer in reverses of for- 
tune, etc., 629 
Prayer : O Incarnate Word, 
18 

Prayer, Love of, 372 

Prayer that we may love 
God as perfectly as possi- 
ble, 612 

Prayer to ask for the spirit 
of mortification, 370 

Prayer to attain to all the 
holy virtues, 619 

Prayer to attain to the Sci- 
ence of the Saints, 609 

Pray.er to avoid hell, 602 

Prayer to avoid lukewarm- 
ness, 605, 606 

Prayer to avoid self-seeking 
in our piety, 612 



66o 



Index. 



Prayer to avoid sin, 61 

Prayer to be preserved from 
sudden death, 618 

Prayer to do always what 
God wills, 367 

Prayer to know our voca- 
tion, 592 

Prayer to obtain a victory 
over temptation, 606 

Prayer to obtain detachment 
from earthly affections, 
362 

Prayer to obtain detachment 
from pleasures, 363 

Prayer to obtain detachment 
from worldly esteem, 363 

Prayer to obtain final perse- 
verance, 617, 618 

Prayer to obtain fidelity in 
making meditations, 373 

Prayer to obtain grace, 147, 
149, 576, 630 

Prayer to obtain remission 
of our sins, 161 

Prayer to obtain paradise, 
602 

Prayer to obtain persever- 
ance in the faith, 635 

Prayer to obtain purity, 
364, 635 

Prayer to obtain purity of 
body, 365 

Prayer to obtain the grace 
of always acting with a 
good intention, 610 

Prayer to obtain the grace of 
bearing humiliations pa- 
tiently, 616 

Prayer to obtain the grace 
of being constant in 
prayer, 147 



Prayer to obtain the grace 
of governing our tongue, 

608 

Prayer to obtain humility, 

369 

Prayer to obtain the grace 
of praying well, 372 

Prayer to obtain recollected- 
ness, 371 

Prayer to obtain various 
graces, 630 

Prayer to obtain the victory 
over temptation, 606 

Prayer to obtain the virtue 
of charity, 360 

Prayer to our guardian 
angel, 560, 561 

Prayer to our Holy Re- 
deemer, 416 

Prayer to Our Lady of Per- 
petual Help, 79, 547 

Prayer to Our Lady of Sor* 
row, 542 

Prayer to our patron Saint, 
135 

Prayer to St. Alphonsus, 

574 

Prayer to St. Anne, 571 
Prayer to St. Francis de 

Sales, 571 
Prayer to St. Joachim, 591 
Prayer to the apostles, 

569 

Prayer to the Blessed Sacra- 
ment, 459 

Prayer to the holy angels, 
559 

Prayer to the holy confess- 
ors, 569 
Prayer to the Holy Ghost, 

493, 496, 513 515 



66i 



Praver to the holy mailvrs, ! 
569 

Prayer to the holy name of 

Jesus, 441 
Prayer to the holy widows, 

570 

Prayer to the holy virgin 

saints, 570 
Prayer to the Immaculate 

Heart of Mary, 532 
Prayer to the name of Mary, 

547 

Prayer when the vocation is 

decided, 573 
Prayers during Mass, 63. 

106, 136, 142, 145, 152, 

161, 172 
Prayers to Jesus, 367, 3S0 
Prayers to Mary, 134, 141, 

144, 151, 160, 171, 179, 

Prayers to St. Joseph, 553 
Prayers to St. Teresa. 57S 
Prayers to obtain the virtues 

of each month 
Prayers to the Infant Jesus, 

418 

Pravers to the Passion, 446, 
452 

Prayers to the Sacred Heart 

of Jesus, 484 
Prayers to the saints, 562 
Presentation, Feast of the, 

540 

Psalms for Vespers, 120 — 

Penitential, 1S9 
Purgatory, Devotion to the 

Souls in, 581 
Purification, Feast of the, 

535 

Purity, 364, 3S5, 534 



Recollection, 371 
Regina Coeli, 52 
Resignation, 374, 613 
Resolutions, 407 
Retreat, Monthly, 406 
Rising, On, 55 
Rule of Life, 406 
Sacred Heart of Jesus, 375, 
4S4 

Saints, Devotions to the, 
562 

Salve Regina, 52, 134 
Sanctification of the day, 
63, 3 1 

Scourging, Our Saviour's, 

447 

Scruples, 368 

Sentiments of a Soul re- 
solved never again to 
leave its God, 601 

Sighs for our heavenly 
Home, 603 

Solitude, 390 

Sorrows and Joys of St. 
^ Joseph, 553 
Sorrows of Mary, 542 
Spiritual reading, 73 
Stations of the Cross, 64 
Steps of Our Saviour's Child- 
hood, 377 
Steps of the Passion, 169 
Sundays, Seven, consecrated 

to St. Joseph, 556 
Teresa, St., Devotions to. 
578 

Trinity, Holy — Devotions 
to, 413 — Praises in honor 
of, 414 

Trisagion, 414 

Twenty-fifth Sunday of each 
month, 377 



662 



Index. 



Vespers, 120 
Visitation, Feast of, 538 
Visits — Blessed Sacrament, 
73, 215, 277 — Blessed Vir- 
gin* 73> 277 — St. Joseph, 
341 



Vows of Baptism, 619 
Way of the Cross, 64 
Will of God, 367, 404, 418, 
614 

Wounds, Our Lord's, 423, 
454 



